Features of thermal behavior and ignition of HEM with bimetal powders

The use of metal fuel in high-energy materials (HEM) for propulsion is the most energy efficient method allows to the combustion characteristic increase for solid propellants and specific impulse. Aluminum powder is used in original HEM. To improve the ignition characteristics of HEM advisable to use the catalyst (nonmetals, metals or their oxides). Paper presents the experimental data of the thermal behavior and ignition for HEM based on AP and butadiene rubber, containing bimetal powders: aluminum/iron and aluminum/boron. The use of Alex/Fe powder in HEM decreases the ignition time by 1.3–1.9 times under initiation by CO2 laser in air at the range of heat flux density of 55–220 W/cm2 and increases of the recoil force of gasification products outflow from burning surface by 27 % during combustion of propellant due to possible of the catalytic effect, which reduces the beginning temperature of AP high-temperature decomposition by ~20 °C, and interaction of thermite mixture of aluminum and iron particles in the reaction layer of propellant. Then the use of Alex/B in HEM the ignition time is decreased by 1.2–1.4 times, the recoil force of gasification products outflow from burning surface is slightly increased by 9 %