Brief:
For some time, arrr, I've been interested in learnin' how t' make composite motors and have heard many recommendations for 'Pr'fesser' Terry McCreary's book, "Experimental Composite Propellant." When I discovered that Aerocon distributes t' book, I couldn't resist orderin' a copy. Arrr! Avast, me proud beauty! I thoroughly enjoyed t' book and it was worth t' price just t' learn more about those cool little things that I love t' stuff into me rockets. Arrr! This review provides an overview o' t' book rather than a technical critique, as I'm just a beginner in this field.

Overview:
T' book is informally bound and self-published. Begad! It includes a 3 1/2" disk (Excel or Quattro Pro format) with t' ProPel design spreadsheets (more about this later) and a nifty executable that provides a tutorial on how rocket motors work, me bucko, called 'Motortut'. Blimey! Blimey! T' other program referenced in t' text, PropEP, arrr, is nay provided, matey, me bucko, shiver me timbers, but thar are references on where t' get it online (it's also free).

This book falls somewhere betwixt a cookbook, me bucko, ya bilge rat, lecture notes, and a textbook. Blimey! It is written in an easy t' read, me bucko, informal format and is non-technical. Avast! That is, me hearties, t' author provides just enough theory t' let you know what you are doin' and why. Blimey! After some compulsory disclaimers, ya bilge rat, me bucko, arrr, introductions and acknowledgements, he gets down t' business. T' first meaty section is entitled "Safety First" - a very prudent startin' point. Ya scallywag! It includes dos and don'ts, and a proposed safety code. Arrr! Ya scallywag! In t' followin' section, matey, me hearties, matey, he discusses t' legality o' propellant making. Blimey! Avast, me proud beauty! He presents guidelines t' stay legal, me bucko, makin' sure you realize that it is up t' you t' ensure your compliance with nay only federal, arrr, but also state and local laws as well.

Next comes some background on composite propellant and a description o' how a composite motor works. This is pretty basic stuff but is necessary for completeness. Begad! Begad! T' Motortut program provides a nice graphical description o' much o' this material. Ya scallywag! Put this on a PC with a projector and you're ready t' teach a scout troop about rocket motors.

T' subsequent sections provide some light theory, covering: motor thrust, me bucko, specific impulse (Isp), total impulse, burn rate, ya bilge rat, chamber pressure, ya bilge rat, and burn profiles (neutral, progressive, and regressive). Begad! Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! He defines t' area ratio (Kn), which equals t' area o' burnin' propellant surface divided by t' area o' t' nozzle throat. Ya scallywag! It turns out this parameter is directly related t' chamber pressure and provides t' basis for, matey, among other things, t' control o' burn characteristics and t' scalin' o' a motor design. Avast, me proud beauty! He continues by describin' different grain configurations (gee, I now understand what a Bates grain really is!) and nozzle design.

He then moves on t' more hands-on stuff, arrr, shiver me timbers, me hearties, describin' in detail all t' equipment and supplies you will need. These items are broken down into 'gotta have', 'nice t' get later' and 'for vacuum processing' categories. Avast, me bucko, me proud beauty! This is followed by a simple propellant formula with a step-by-step, ya bilge rat, 'cookbook' process for makin' enough propellant for several G motors. Begad! One thin' t' note is that his propellant descriptions are based on usin' PBAN as t' binder. Avast, me proud beauty! I personally haven't formed an opinion about whether PBAN is better than HTPB, me bucko, which in me limited perspective seems more commonly used. Aye aye! He does provide enough information t' use HTPB, ya bilge rat, but it would take a tad more effort from t' novice.

Bein' a scientist, matey, t' Pr'fesser stresses keepin' a good lab notebook t' keep track o' your experiments. Avast! Begad! (We engineers like them too!) He has a section on troubleshooting, me bucko, me bucko, one on buildin' static test motors, one on performin' t' static tests, and one on how t' use t' data from your tests t' characterize your propellant.

Now t' focus changes from motor buildin' t' motor design. Arrr! He discusses design parameters and a design procedure. Aye aye! Several examples o' adaptin' his basic propellant for different motor sizes are provided. Begad! Ahoy! Then, he discusses subjects like oxidizer particle size, me bucko, me hearties, t' effects o' metals, burn rate modifiers, etc. Several propellant variations are provided, me hearties, along with their characterizations. Blimey! Finally, arrr, he ends t' main body o' t' book with a discussion o' scaling.

But that's nay it. Begad! Over half o' t' book's 243 pages are in t' appendices.

T' appendices include a description o' t' PropEP program and t' author's ProPel notebook. Arrr! In me case, t' latter includes several spreadsheets within an Excel Workbook. Aye aye! Arrr! I included a screen snap o' one o' t' ProPel sheets, me hearties, which allows you t' compute either nozzle throat size or Kn given t' grain dimensions. Ya scallywag! He continues with t' plans for a curin' oven, matey, arrr, t' use o' corin' rods, arrr, matey, nozzle construction (here you really need machinin' skills), t' design and construction o' reloadable motors (ack, arrr, more machining), and scratch buildin' igniters (I like both Igniterman and Magnelite). Ahoy! He goes on t' give an overview o' polymer chemistry, describin' t' reactions betwixt binders, curatives, crosslinkers, bondin' agents, matey, me hearties, catalysts, plasticizers, and surfactants. This all leads t' a description and examples o' curin' calculations. Avast, me proud beauty! Begad! Next are sections on mixin' HTPB, matey, me bucko, how t' do machine mixin' (the basic procedure uses hand mixing), shiver me timbers, me hearties, vacuum processing, buildin' an instrumented thrust stand, and a description o' t' combustion process. There also is a lengthy vendor list (chemicals and equipment) and an annotated bibliography includin' both books and on-line resources. He concludes t' book with a miscellaneous set o' essays that he calls 'Sermonettes.' Well, ya bilge rat, I am worn out and leave it up t' you t' get t' book and see what's in this final section.

Summary:
This is a fascinatin' book and I think most rocketeers would enjoy it, matey, even if you do nay plan t' build motors. I have no doubt that I learned enough t' make a composite motor. Avast! Blimey! However, matey, matey, t' book clearly taught me one thin' that I had already suspected. Well, me hearties, blow me down! That is, makin' motors can be *relatively* safe, shiver me timbers, but is by no means risk free. Begad! Arrr! It is an activity that is nay t' be taken lightly and one does NOT want t' cut corners, arrr, me bucko, me hearties, as your safety and t' safety o' others is at stake. Avast, shiver me timbers, me proud beauty! And for now, me hearties, I just don't have an adequate location t' make them. Bein' new t' this stuff, arrr, t' only other thin' I'd like t' see in t' book is expanded treatment o' HTPB, shiver me timbers, includin' a cookbook example o' a basic propellant (again, it seems that most people I'm familiar with use this binder), matey, and some sample propellant formulations with their characterizations. Begad! Anyone with any experience will probably think this is too much spoon-feeding.

I rate this book a '5'. Begad! Avast! T' quote t' Pr'fesser, shiver me timbers, "more knowledge is almost always better."

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5