| My first attempts at making a Sugar Flame fuel
were based on Sorbitol and -325 iron powder. The first five test were a
65% 30% 5% mix of oxidizer, fuel, and metal. Although somewhat
successful, they still lacked as prominent a flame as I hoped for.
For my sixth test I decreased the fuel by 5% while
increasing the metal 5%. The result can be seen in the picture
above. This was a step in the right direction.
My next step was to substitute Dextrose for the
Sorbitol and that lead to the flame fuel I am using at present.
One thing I noticed is
that I have to let my grains cure for at least a week before firing. On
one occasion I fired two 5% iron grains on the same day they were cast
and it is the only time this formula has failed to produce a flame. My
inital testing was in the 200 KN range with 38mm motors. My ISP
averages 108. Although low, I feel it is acceptable in order to achieve
the flame.
Again I hope you find
this information useful in your rocket endeavors.
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