Morphology and Size Distribution of Condensed Combustion Products of Aluminum-Based Propellants

Abstract

ABSTRACT Both glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) and hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20) are high-energy compounds with very promising applications. However, there are relatively few relevant studies for GAP/CL-20 aluminum-based propellants. In this paper, the CCPs of aluminum-based GAP/CL-20 propellant under different operating conditions were collected by a gas collecting device, and the physicochemical properties of CCPs were carefully studied by various modern analytical and testing instruments. The results show that the CCPs consist mainly of smoke oxide particles (~1 μm), residual oxide particles (~20 μm) and agglomerates. Residual oxide particles are widely available, but have received less attention from researchers. The agglomerates can be divided into two categories: sphere-like agglomerates and non-spherical agglomerates. Sphere-like agglomerates include cracked spheres, solid spheres, hollow spheres, and spheres with oxide caps. Surprisingly, we found an agglomerate with two caps. Non-spherical agglomerates are larger in size than sphere-like agglomerates, and the non-spherical agglomerates include irregular agglomerates, coral-like aggregates, and filamentous agglomerates. As far as we know, coral-like aggregates and filamentous agglomerates in CCPs have not been reported in the literature. Pocket theory and inter-pocket bridge theory were used to explain the formation mechanism of fine filament agglomerates. In addition, the formation mechanisms of different types of agglomerates were analyzed and sorted out. The particle size distribution of CCPs at different pressures shows that the average particle size of CCPs decreases with increasing pressure. It is hoped that this paper can provide a reference for the design of high-energy propellant formulations.