Characterization of Aluminum Powders: III. Non‐Isothermal Oxidation and Combustion of Modern Aluminized Solid Propellants with Nanometals and Nanooxides

Abstract

AbstractAluminum powders were comprehensively described as the prospective ingredients of the modern propellants. The paper also studied the influence of micro‐ and nanopowders of metals (μ‐Me and n‐Me) and metal oxides (μ‐MeO and n‐MeO) on the burning process of modern aluminized propellant with HMX, CL‐20, AP, and active binder. The following metal additives were used: Al, B, Zn, Ni, Co, and Mo. The effect of the following oxides CoO, V2O5, MnO2, and Fe2O3 was studied together with LiF. The combustion tests of modified propellant compositions were carried out in the Vielle bomb in a pressure range 2–10 MPa. n‐Me addition resulted in an increase in the burning rate by 10 % for n‐B, by 30–40 % for n‐Ni and n‐Mo in the studied pressure range. The introduction of n‐Cu caused a burning rate to increase fivefold. n‐Zn additive resulted in increasing of the propellant burning rate by 130 % and 260 % at 4 and 10 MPa, respectively. It was probably caused by the catalytic activity of those metals in the gaseous phase. The effect of complex additive was observed to be insignificant for additives with μ‐Co3O4, μ‐V2O5, μ‐Fe2O3 and n‐Fe2O3. The burning rate of propellant with n‐CuO additive value was higher by a factor of 4 in comparison with the basic formulation in the studied pressure range.