Condensed-phase control? Or gas-phase control?

Publishing the discussion of two famous researchers in the field of solid propellant combustion, the Editorial Board has to mention that the issues discussed have a long story. The ideas on the leading role of solid-phase reactions in combustion of double-base and composite propellants were formulated by P. F. Pokhil approximately 40 years ago (Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves, 1969, Vol. 5, No. 3). Simultaneously, he emphasized that the burning rate in the general case depends on interaction of all stages in the combustion wave. Up to now, it was only an experiment that could offer reliable proof of the existence of some particular mechanism of combustion, and critical discussions of available experimental information are of crucial importance. In this connection, it should be noted that the considerations of the leading role of gas-phase reactions at elevated pressures presented in this discussion can also be revised, because, with appropriate kinetics of solid-phase chemical reactions, their role can become dominating with increasing pressure (and surface temperature). __________ Translated from Fizika Goreniya i Vzryva, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 134–136, March–April, 2007.