Unraveling the role of dual Ti/Mg metals on the ignition and combustion behavior of HTPB-boron-based fuel

Metal additives play an essential role in explosive and propellant formulations. Boron(B) is widely used in propellant applications owing to its high energetic content. The addition of B to explosives and propellants increases their energy density, making them more efficient and powerful. Nevertheless, B forms oxide layers on its surface during combustion, slowing down the combustion rate and reducing rocket motor efficiency. To overcome this issue, other metal additives such as aluminum(Al), magnesium(Mg),and titanium(Ti) are revealed to be effective in boosting the combustion rate of propellants. These additives may improve the combustion rate and therefore enhance the rocket motor’s performance. The present study focused on preparing and investigating the ignition and combustion behavior of pure hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene(HTPB)-B fuel supplemented with nano-titanium and nanomagnesium. The burn rates of HTPB-B fuel samples were evaluated on the opposed flow burner(OFB)under a gaseous oxygen oxidizer, for which the mass flux ranges from 22 kg/(m^(2)·s) to 86 kg/(m^(2)·s). The addition of Ti and Mg exhibited higher regression rates, which were attributed to the improved oxidation reaction of B due to the synergetic metal combustion effect. The possible combustion/oxidation reaction mechanism of B-Mg and B-Ti by heating the fuel samples at 900℃ and 1100℃ was also examined in a Nabertherm burnout furnace under an oxygen atmosphere. The post-combustion products were collected and further subjected to X-ray diffraction(XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM) analyses to inspect the combustion behavior of B-Ti and B-Mg. It has been observed that the B oxide layer at the interface between B-Ti(B-Mg) is removed at lower temperatures, hence facilitating oxygen transfer from the surroundings to the core B. Additionally, Ti and Mg decreased the ignition delay time of B, which improved its combustion performance.

Synthesis and characterization of a 1,3-dibutylimidazolium azide([BBIm][N_(3)]) : A promising green energetic ionic liquid

In the pursuit of advancing imidazolium-based energetic ionic liquids (EILs),the current study is devoted to the synthesis and characterization of 1,3-dibutyl-imidazolium azide ([BBIm][N_(3)]),as a novel member in this ionic liquids class.The chemical structure of this EIL was rigorously characterized and confirmed using FTIR spectroscopy,1D,and 2D-NMR analyses.The thermal behavior assessment was conducted through DSC and TGA experiments.DSC analysis revealed an endothermic glass transition at T_(g)=-61℃,followed by an exothermic degradation event at T_(onset)=311℃.Similarly,TGA thermograms exhibited a one-stage decomposition process resulting in 100% mass loss of the sample.Furthermore,the short-term thermal stability of the azide EIL was investigated by combining the non-isothermal TGA data with the TAS,it-KAS,and VYA/CE isoconversional kinetic approaches.Consequently,the Arrhenius parameters(E_(a)=154 kJ·mol^(-1),Log(A/s^(-1))=11.8) and the most probable reaction model g(a) were determined.The observed high decomposition temperatures and the significantly elevated activation energy affirm the enhanced thermal stability of the modified EIL.These findings revealed that[BBIm][N_(3)]EIL can be a promising candidate for advanced energetic material application.

Evaluating Ignition and Combustion Performance with Al-Metal- Organic Frameworks and Nano-Aluminum in HTPB Fuel

Incorporating aluminum metal-organic frameworks(Al-MOFs)as energetic additives for solid fuels presents a promising avenue for enhancing combustion performance.This study explores the potential benefits of Al-MOF(MIL-53(Al))energetic additive on the combustion performance of hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene(HTPB)fuel.The HTPB-MOF fuel samples were manufactured using the vacuum-casting technique,followed by a comprehensive evaluation of their ignition and combustion properties using an opposed flow burner(OFB)setup utilizing gaseous oxygen as an oxidizer.To gauge the effectiveness of Al-MOFs as fuel additives,their impact is compared with that of nano-aluminum(nAl),another traditional additive in HTPB fuel.The results indicate that the addition of 15%(mass fraction)nAl into HTPB resulted in the shortest ignition delay time(136 ms),demonstrating improved ignition performance compared to pure HTPB(273 ms).The incorporation of Al-MOF in HTPB also reduced ignition delay times to 227 ms and 189 ms,respectively.Moreover,under high oxidizer mass flux conditions(79—81 kg/(m^(2)s)),HTPB fuel with 15%nAl exhibited a substantial 83.2%increase in regression rate compared to the baseline HTPB fuel,highlighting the positive influence of nAl on combustion behavior.In contrast,HTPB-MOF with a 15%Al-MOF additive showed a 32.7%increase in regression rate compared to pure HTPB.These results suggest that HTPB-nAl outperforms HTPB-MOF in terms of regression rates,indicating a more vigorous and rapid burning behavior.

Catalytic Effect of Transition Metal Complexes of Triaminoguanidine on the Thermolysis of Energetic NC/DEGDN Composite

The transition metal complexes of triaminoguanidine(TAG-M,where M=Cobalt(Co)or Iron(Fe))have been prepared.The catalytic effect of these complexes on the thermolysis of energetic composite based on nitrocellulose and diethylene glycol dinitrate,has been investigated.Extensive characterization of the resulting energetic composites was carried out using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).Isoconversional kinetic analysis was performed to determine the Arrhenius parameters associated with the thermolysis of the elaborated energetic formulations.It is found that TAG-M complexes have strong catalytic effect on the thermo-kinetic decomposition of NC/DEGDN by decreasing the apparent activation energy and significantly increased the total heat release.The models that govern the decomposition processes are also studied,and it is revealed that different reaction processes are accomplished by introduction metal complexes of triaminoguanidine.Overall,this study serves as a valuable reference for future research focused on the investigation of catalytic combustion features of solid propellants.

5-Nitro-1,2,4-triazole-3-one:A Review of Recent Advances

The 3?Nitro?1,2,4?triazole?5?one(NTO)is a high energy density materials of keen interest for both commercial and scientific worlds owing to its reduced sensitivity,better thermal stability and high performances. It plays a significant role to replace the current energetic ingredients. In this review,we summarize various strategies involved in the synthesis of NTO as well as the existing approaches to tailor its particle morphology and sizes. The most prominent properties of NTO,such as insensitivity and performance,which are usually required to produce efficient formulations,have been concisely discussed. In addition,this overview reports on some newer forms of NTO including derivatives and co?crystals available in the literature,which can enhance the NTO features and extend its applications. The advantages and shortcomings of various NTO forms for specific and potential use are also highlighted together with the attempts made to overcome these issues. Therefore,efforts will certainly continue to improve characteristics and performances of NTO either by chemical modification or by co?crystallization in order to produce promising formulations for widespread applications in the near future.

A new experimental way for the monitoring of the real/equivalent inservice- time of double base rocket propellant by coupling VST and PCA

The assessment of the real in-service-time(RIST)and the equivalent in-service-time(EIST)of double base rocket propellants(DBRPs)is of utmost importance for the safe storage and use of weapon systems as well as the efficiency of the accelerated aging plans.In this work,four DBRPs with similar chemical composition and different natural aging have been artificially aged at T?338.65 K for 4 months with sampling every 30 days.The unaged and artificially aged samples have been investigated by vacuum stability test(VST)at five isothermal temperatures(T?333.15 K,343.15 K,353.15 K,363.15 K,and 373.15 K).The volume of the evolved gases in VST was found to decrease with natural/artificial aging.Furthermore,the VST data were treated and subjected to principal component analysis(PCA).The results showed excellent discrimination of the DBRP samples according to their stability thermal properties.Most of the variance was described by the first principal component(PC1)whose scores were linearly correlated with the natural aging durations when PCA is applied on VST data obtained at T?363.15 K.In light of the obtained results,a new experimental way for the estimation of the real/equivalent IST was proposed,which takes into account the impact of the natural aging of the sample.The approach predicts successfully the RIST of two similar DBRPs with a relative deviation of less than 2%.At the specific heating temperature T?338.65 K,the developed model provides more conceivable EIST values,with asymptotic behavior against artificial aging duration evolution,thus overcoming some shortcomings of the common generalized van’t Hoff formula(GvH).

Chemical design and characterization of cellulosic derivatives containing high-nitrogen functional groups:Towards the next generation of energetic biopolymers

In this research,a promising class of insensitive and high-energy dense biopolymers,which contain nitrogen-rich 1H-tetrazol-1-yl acetate and nitrate ester functional groups,was successfully synthesized through tetrazole derivatization and nitration of cellulose and its micro-sized derivative(TNCN and TCMCN).Their molecular structures,physicochemical properties,thermal behaviors,mechanical sensitivities and detonation performances were studied and compared to those of the corresponding nitrocellulose and nitrated micro-sized cellulose(NCN and CMCN).The developed energetic TNCN and TCMCN exhibited insensitive character with excellent features such as density of 1.710 g/cm3and 1.726 g/cm3,nitrogen content of 20.95%and 22.59%,and detonation velocity of 7552 m/s and 7786 m/s,respectively,and thereby demonstrate their potential applications as new generation of energetic biopolymers to substitute the common NCN.Furthermore,thermal results showed that the designed nitrated and chemical modified cellulosic biopolymers displayed good thermal stability with multistep decomposition mechanism.These results enrich future prospects for the design of promising insensitive and high-energy dense cellulose-rich materials and commence a new chapter in this field.

Preparation of ammonium nitrate-based solid composite propellants supplemented with polyurethane/nitrocellulose blends binder and their thermal decomposition behavior

To improve the performance of solid composite propellants(SCPs)supplemented with ammonium nitrate(AN)as an oxidizer,the incorporation of energetic ingredients such as explosives,energetic binders or catalysts is a common effective approach.For this purpose,polyurethane(PU),a typical inert binder,was mixed with nitrocellulose(NC)as an energetic polymer.Numerous composite solid propellant compositions based on AN and NC-modified polyurethane binder with different NC ratios were prepared.The prepared formulations were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),RAMAN spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction(XRD),electron densimetry,thermogravimetric(TG)analysis,and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC).A kinetic study was then performed using the iterative KissingerAkahira-Sunose(It-KAS),Flynn-Wall-Ozawa(It-FWO),and non-linear Vyazovkin integral with compensation effect(VYA/CE)methods.The theoretical performances,such as theoretical specific impulse,adiabatic flame temperature,and ideal exhaust gaseous species,were also determined using the NASA Lewis Code,Chemical Equilibrium with Application(CEA).Spectroscopic examinations revealed the existence of NC and full polymerization of PU in the prepared propellants.According to density tests,the density of the propellant increases as the nitrocellulose component increases.According to the thermal analysis and kinetics study,the increase in NC content catalyzed the thermal decomposition of the AN-based composite solid propellants.Based on the theoretical study,increasing the amount of NC in the propellant increased the specific impulse and,as a result,the overall performance.

Kevlar fabric reinforced polybenzoxazine composites filled with silane treated microcrystalline cellulose in the interlayers:The next generation of multi-layered armor panels

The design of astonishing combinations of benzoxazine resins with various fillers is nowadays of great interest for high quality products,especially in ballistic armors.The objective of this study is to investigate a new hybrid material prepared as multi-layered composite plate by hand lay-up technique.Different composites were manufactured from Kevlar fabrics reinforced polybenzoxazine,which was filled with silane treated microcrystalline cellulose(MCC Si)at various amounts in the interlayers.The developed materials were tested for their flexural,dynamic mechanical and ballistic performance.The aim was to highlight the effect of adding different amounts of MCC Si on the behavior of the different plates.Compared to the baseline,the dynamic mechanical and bending tests revealed an obvious decrease of the glass transition of 21℃and a notable increase in storage modulus and flexural strength of about 180%and17%,respectively,upon adding 1%MMC Si as filler.Similarly,the ballistic test exhibited an enhancement in kinetic energy absorption for which the composite supplemented with 1%MCC Si had the maximal energy absorption of 166.60 J.These results indicated that the developed panels,with interesting mechanical and ballistic features,are suitable to be employed as raw materials to produce body armor.