Effect of solid oxidizers on the thermal oxidation and combustion performance of amorphous boron

Abstract

Amorphous boron is usually employed as the most important fuel of boron-based fuel-rich propellants, and NH4ClO4 (AP), cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (HMX), KClO4 and KNO3 are the solid oxidizers of most used in solid propellants. The mixtures of boron and different solid oxidizers with mass ratio 1:1 were prepared in this paper, and the effect of these oxidizers on the thermal oxidation and combustion performance of amorphous boron was studied by simultaneous thermogravimetry–differential scanning calorimeter–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and CO2 laser ignition experiments. The experimental results show that the main reactions during the heating process of B/AP and B/HMX samples are the decomposition of oxidizers, and the decomposition process of oxidizers rather than the decomposition temperature is affected by amorphous boron; boron could react with KClO4 and KNO3 violently with the release of large amounts of heat, and then both of the oxidizers, especially KClO4, have positive effect on the oxidation and combustion performance of amorphous boron.