The effect of al particle size on thermal decomposition,mechanical strength and sensitivity of Al/ZrH2/PTFE composite

To study the thermal decomposition of Al/ZrH2/PTFE with different Al particle size as well as mechanical strength and impact sensitivity under medium and low strain rates, molding-vacuum sintering was adopted to prepare four groups of power materials and cylindrical specimens with different Al particle size. The active decomposition temperature of ZrH2 was obtained by TG-DSC, and the quasi-static me-chanics/reaction characteristics as well as the impact sensitivity of the specimen were studied respec-tively by quasi-static compression and drop-hammer test. The results show that the yield strength of the material decreased with the increase of the Al particle size, while the compressive strength, failure strain and toughness increased first and then decreased, which reached the maximum values of 116.61 MPa, 191％, and 119.9 MJ/m respectively when the Al particle size is 12—14μm because of particle size grading. The specimens with the highest strength and toughness formed circumferential open cracks and reacted partly when pressed. Those with developmental cracks formed inside did not react. It is considered that fracture of specimens first triggered initial reaction between Al and PTFE to release an amount of heat. Then ZrH2 was activated and decomposed, and participated in subsequent reaction to generate ZrC. The impact sensitivity of the specimens decreased with the increase of Al particle size.     

界面热阻对金刚石/银复合材料导热率的影响

研究了金刚石／银复合材料的导热率与金刚石的含量、粒度等之间的关系,着重讨论了界面热阻对复合材料导热率的影响。并阐述了金刚石表面镀钛,能有效改善金刚石对银的润湿性,降低界面热阻,从而提高金刚石／银复合材料的导热率。     

Simulation of natural fragmentation of rings cut from warheads

Natural fragmentation of warheads that detonates causes the casing of the warhead to split into various sized fragments through shear or radial fractures depending on the toughness,density,and grain size of the material.The best known formula for the prediction of the size distribution is the Mott formulae,which is further examined by Grady and Kipp by investigating more carefully the statistical most random way of portioning a given area into a number of entities.We examine the fragmentation behavior of radially expanding steel rings cut from a 25 mm warhead by using an in house smooth particle hydrodynamic(SPH) simulation code called REGULUS.Experimental results were compared with numerical results applying varying particle size and stochastic fracture strain.The numerically obtained number of fragments was consistent with experimental results.Increasing expansion velocity of the rings increases the number of fragments.Statistical variation of the material parameters influences the fragment characteristics,especially for low expansion velocities.A least square regression fit to the cumulative number of fragments by applying a generalized Mott distribution shows that the shape parameter is around 4 for the rings,which is in contrast to the Mott distribution with a shape parameter of 1/2.For initially polar distributed particles,we see signs of a bimodal cumulative fragment distribution.Adding statistical variation in material parameters of the fracture model causes the velocity numerical solutions to become less sensitive to changes in resolution for Cartesian distributed particles.     

Effect of nano powder (Al2O3-CaO) addition on the mechanical properties of the polymer blend matrix composite

This work describes the preparation and study of the properties of composite nanoparticles prepared by the sol-gel method which consists of two materials (Al₂O₃-CaO), and study the effect of these nanoparticles on the mechanical behavior of a polymer blend (EP 4% + 96% UPE). The powder was evaluated by X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscopy analysis (SEM), particle size analysis, and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The mechanical behavior of the composite material was assessed by tensile test, bending test and hardness test. The evaluation results of the composite nanoparticles showed good distribution of the chemical composition between aluminum oxide and calcium oxide, smoothness in particles' size at calcination in high and low temperatures, formation of different shapes of nanoparticles and different (kappa and gamma) phases of the Al₂O₃ particles. The results of mechanical behavior tests showed marked improvement in the mechanical properties of the resulted composite material, especially at 1.5%, compared with polymer blend material without nano powder addition. The tensile properties improved about (24 and 14.9) % and bending resistance about (23.5 and 16.8) % and hardness by (25 and 22) % when adding particles of size (63.8 and 68.6) respectively. Therefore, this reflects the efficiency of the proposed method to manufacture the nanocomposite powder and the possibility of using this powder as a strengthening material for the composite materials and using these composite materials in bio applications, especially in the fabrication of artificial limbs.     

Nanothermite colloids: A new prospective for enhanced performance

Nanothermites (metal oxide/metal) can offer tremendously exothermic self sustained reactions. CuO is one of the most effective oxidizers for naonothermite applications. This study reports on two prospectives for the manufacture of CuO nanoparticles. Colloidal CuO particles of 15 nm particle size were developed using hydrothermal synthesis technique. Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with surface are 700 m²/g was employed as a substrate for synthesis of CuO-coated MWCNTs using electroless plating. On the other hand, aluminium particles with combustion heat of 32000 J/g is of interest as high energy density material. The impact of stoichiometric nanothermite particles (CuO/Al & Cuo-coated MWCNTs/Al) on shock wave strength of Al/TNT nanocomposite was evaluated using ballistic mortar test. While CuO-coated MWCNTs decreased the shock wave strength by 15%; colloidal CuO enhanced the shock wave strength by 30%. The superior performance of colloidal CuO particles was correlated to their steric stabilization with employed organic solvent. This is the first time ever to report on fabrication, isolation, and integration of stablilized colloidal nanothermite particles into energetic matrix where intimate mixing between oxidizer and metal fuel could be achieved.     

复合固体推进剂颗粒填充模型及其统计特性分析

复合固体推进剂属于高填充比颗粒类复合材料,氧化剂和金属颗粒在基体中的随机分布使其在细观尺度具有非均质的特点。从细观尺度研究固体推进剂燃烧及力学性能时,必须考虑颗粒级配、空间分布和种类等因素的影响。采用分子动力学方法,以硝酸酯增塑聚醚高能复合固体推进剂为研究对象,将固体颗粒模型化为球形,生成其在基体内随机分布的颗粒填充模型。利用Monte-Carlo算法模拟计算颗粒填充模型细观结构的两点概率函数,并研究了颗粒填充体积分数、尺寸与级配等参数对其的影响规律。从统计意义上给出具有各态历经性、统计均匀性和各向同性特点的颗粒填充构型最小周期性代表体元尺寸,可有效减小后续研究的计算量,节约计算成本。所构建的推进剂细观几何构型及对最小周期性代表体元尺寸的计算为后续开展复合固体推进剂细观尺度燃烧、燃面处铝团聚及力学性能数值研究奠定了基础。     

High strain rate deformation of explosion-welded Ti6Al4V/pure titanium

Multilayer materials are widely used in military, automobile and aerospace industries. In this paper, the response of an explosion-welded Ti6Al4V/pure titanium with a flat interface to dynamic loading is investigated. An SHPB apparatus is used. Then, the dynamic behaviour of a bimetal sample is explored with a DIC system coupled to the SHPB. Result indicates that in the bimetal sample pure titanium is deformed and failed before Ti6Al4V. The stress curve of the sample shows two different peaks in a striker velocity higher than the 18.3 m/s. When the incident wave encounters the interface of the Ti6Al4V/pure titanium sample, only a small fraction of the wave is reflected owing to similar impedance. Using the direct interpretation stress-strain curve is unreasonable in this case because of unhomogenised plastic deformation. The microstructure of the sample is investigated after loading. An adiabatic shear band is formed in the pure titanium side before failure, and the interface of the sample remains intact under different loading conditions. The FEM simulation result for the sample is in good agreement with experimental observations.     

Study of nano-nitramine explosives: preparation,sensitivity and application

Nano-nitramine explosives (RDX, HMX, CL-20) are produced on a bi-directional grinding mill. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations show that the prepared particles are semi-spherical, and the narrow size distributions are characterized using the laser particle size analyzer. Compared with the micron-sized samples, the nano-products show obvious decrease in friction and impact sensitivities. In the case of shock sensitivities, nano-products have lower values by 59.9% (RDX), 56.4% (HMX), and 58.1% (CL-20), respectively. When nano-RDX and nano-HMX are used in plastic bonded explosives (PBX) as alternative materials of micron-sized particles, their shock sensitivities are significantly decreased by 24.5% (RDX) and 22.9% (HMX), and their detonation velocities are increased by about 1.7%. Therefore, it is expected to promote the application of nano-nitramine explosives in PBXs and composite modified double-based propellants (CMDBs) so that some of their properties would be improved.     

功能型摩擦材料弹性接触的数学模型

功能型摩擦材料是一种多孔含油材料，在力的作用下，赫兹接触下的应力场已不能完全适用。为研究材料内部孔隙的变化，在材料接触模型和功能型摩擦材料的构成模型基础上，利用弹性力学的知识，建立了功能型摩擦材料接触区域孔隙变化的数学模型。同时讨论了孔隙在力和热作用下的行为，以及影响孔隙体积的因素。为研究功能型摩擦材料的服役机理提供依据。     

Formation and characterization of core-shell CL-20/TNT composite prepared by spray-drying technique

The core-shell 2,4,6,8,10,12-Hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane/2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene (CL-20/TNT) composite was prepared by spray-drying method in which sensitive high energy explosive (CL-20) was coated with insensitive explosive (TNT). The structure and properties of different formulations of CL-20/TNT composite and CL-20/TNT mixture were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Laser particle size analyzer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), impact sensitivity test and detonation performance. The results of SEM, TEM, XPS and XRD show that ϵ-CL-20 particles are coated by TNT. When the ratio of CL-20/TNT is 75/25, core-shell structure is well formed, and thickness of the shell is about 20–30 nm. And the analysis of heat and impact show that with the increase of TNT content, the TNT coating on the core-shell composite material can not only catalyze the thermal decomposition of core material (CL-20), but also greatly reduce the impact sensitivity. Compared with the CL-20/TNT mixture (75/25) at the same ratio, the characteristic drop height of core-shell CL-20/TNT composite (75/25) increased by 47.6% and the TNT coating can accelerate the nuclear decomposition in the CL-20/TNT composites. Therefore, the preparation of the core-shell composites can be regarded as a unique means, by which the composites are characterized by controllable decomposition rate, high energy and excellent mechanical sensitivity and could be applied to propellants and other fields.     

Effects of material of metallic frame on the penetration resistances of ceramic-metal hybrid structures

The effects of metallic material on the penetration resistances of ceramic-metal hybrid structures against vertical long-rod tungsten projectiles were studied by artillery-launched experiments and numerical simulation. Hybrid structures with rectangular cores in transverse orthogonal arrangement and slide-fitting ceramic inserts of zirconia toughened alumina prisms were fabricated with titanium alloy TC4 (Ti6Al4V), AISI 4340 steel and 7075 aluminum alloy panels, respectively. The results showed that the hybrid structure of Ti6Al4V exhibited the highest penetration resistance, followed by that of 7075 aluminum alloy with the same area density. The penetration resistance of the hybrid structure of AISI 4340 steel was the lowest. The underlying mechanisms showed that the metallic material of a ceramic-metal hybrid structure can directly affect its energy absorption from the impact projectile, which further affects its penetration resistance. Different metallic frames exhibited different failure characteristics, resulting in different constraint conditions or support conditions for ceramic prisms. The high penetration resistance of the Ti6Al4V hybrid structure was due to its stronger back support to ceramic prisms as compared with that of AISI 4340 steel hybrid structure, and better constraint condition for ceramic prisms by metallic webs as compared with that of 7075 aluminum alloy hybrid structure. The results of mass efficiency and thickness efficiency showed that the Ti6Al4V hybrid structure has advantages in reducing both the thickness and the mass of protective structure. In addition, because the ceramic-metal hybrid structures in the present work were heterogeneous, impact position has slight influence on their penetration resistances.     

Effect of tool rotational speed on the particle distribution in friction stir welding of AA6092/17.5 SiCp-T6 composite plates and its consequences on the mechanical property of the joint

This study investigates the effect of tool rotational speed (TRS) on particle distribution in nugget zone (NZ) through quantitative approach and its consequences on the mechanical property of friction stir welded joints of AA6092/17.5 SiC_p-T6 composite. 6 mm thick plates are welded at a constant tool tilt angle of 2° and tool traverse speed of 1 mm/s by varying the TRS at 1000 rpm, 1500 rpm and 2000 rpm with a taper pin profiled tool. Microstructure analysis shows large quantity of uniformly shaped smaller size SiC particle with lower average particle area which are homogeneously distributed in the NZ. The fragmentation of bigger size particles has been observed because of abrading action of the hard tool and resulting shearing effect and severe stress generation due to the rotation of tool. The particles occupy maximum area in the matrix compared to that of the base material (BM) due to the redistribution of broken particles as an effect of TRS. The migration of particles towards the TMAZ-NZ transition zone has been also encountered at higher TRS (2000 rpm). The microhardness analysis depicts variation in average hardness from top to bottom of the NZ, minimum for 1500 rpm and maximum for 2000 rpm. The impact strength at 1000 rpm and 1500 rpm remains close to that of BM (21.6 J) while 2000 rpm shows the accountable reduction. The maximum joint efficiency has been achieved at 1500 rpm (84%) and minimum at 1000 rpm (68%) under tensile loading. Fractographic analysis shows mixed mode of failure for BM, 1000 rpm and 1500 rpm, whereas 2000 rpm shows the brittle mode of failure.     

Modeling mechanical behaviors of composites with various ratios of matrixeinclusion properties using movable cellular automaton method

Two classes of composite materials are considered: classical metaleceramic composites with reinforcing hard inclusions as well as hard ceramics matrix with soft gel inclusions. Movable cellular automaton method is used for modeling the mechanical behaviors of such different heterogeneous materials. The method is based on particle approach and may be considered as a kind of discrete element method. The main feature of the method is the use of many-body forces of inter-element interaction within the formalism of simply deformable element approximation. It was shown that the strength of reinforcing particles and the width of particle-binder interphase boundaries had determining influence on the service characteristics of metaleceramic composite. In particular, the increasing of strength of carbide inclusions may lead to significant increase in the strength and ultimate strain of composite material. On the example of porous zirconia ceramics it was shown that the change in the mechanical properties of pore surface leads to the corresponding change in effective elastic modulus and strength limit of the ceramic sample. The less is the pore size, the more is this effect. The increase in the elastic properties of pore surface of ceramics may reduce its fracture energy.     

Coating processes towards selective laser sintering of energetic material composites

This research aims to contribute to the safe methodology for additive manufacturing (AM) of energetic materials. Coating formulation processes were investigated and evaluated to find a suitable method that may enable selective laser sintering (SLS) as the safe method for fabrication of high explosive (HE) compositions. For safety and convenience reasons, the concept demonstration was conducted using inert explosive simulants with properties quasi-similar to the real HE. Coating processes for simulant RDX-based microparticles by means of PCL and 3,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde (as TNT simulant) are reported. These processes were evaluated for uniformity of coating the HE inert simulant particles with binder materials to facilitate the SLS as the adequate binding and fabrication method. Suspension system and single emulsion methods gave required particle near spherical morphology, size and uniform coating. The suspension process appears to be suitable for the SLS of HE mocks and potential formulation methods for active HE composites. The density is estimated to be comparable with the current HE compositions and plastic bonded explosives (PBXs) such as C4 and PE4, produced from traditional methods. The formulation method developed and understanding of the science behind the processes paves the way toward safe SLS of the active HE compositions and may open avenues for further research and development of munitions of the future.     

Shock-induced reaction behaviors of functionally graded reactive material

In this paper, the ballistic impact experiments, including impact test chamber and impact double-spaced plates, were conducted to study the reaction behaviors of a novel functionally graded reactive material (FGRM), which was composed of polytetrafluoroethylene/aluminum (PTFE/Al) and PTFE/Al/bismuth trioxide (Bi₂O₃). The experiments showed that the impact direction of the FGRM had a significant effect on the reaction. With the same impact velocity, when the first impact material was PTFE/Al/Bi₂O₃, compared with first impact material PTFE/Al, the FGRM induced higher overpressure in the test chamber and larger damaged area of double-spaced plates. The theoretical model, which considered the shock wave generation and propagation, the effect of the shock wave on reaction efficiency, and penetration behaviors, was developed to analyze the reaction behaviors of the FGRM. The model predicted first impact material of the FGRM with a higher shock impedance was conducive to the reaction of reactive materials. The conclusion of this study provides significant information about the design and application of reactive materials.     

A comprehensive review on material selection for polymer matrix composites subjected to impact load

Polymer matrix composites (PMC) are extensively been used in many engineering applications. Various natural fibers have emerged as potential replacements to synthetic fibers as reinforcing materials composites owing to their fairly better mechanical properties, low cost, environment friendliness and biodegradability. Selection of appropriate constituents of composites for a particular application is a tedious task for a designer/engineer. Impact loading has emerged as the serious threat for the composites used in structural or secondary structural application and demands the usage of appropriate fiber and matrix combination to enhance the energy absorption and mitigate the failure. The objective of the present review is to explore the composite with various fiber and matrix combination used for impact applications, identify the gap in the literature and suggest the potential naturally available fiber and matrix combination of composites for future work in the field of impact loading. The novelty of the present study lies in exploring the combination of naturally available fiber and matrix combination which can help in better energy absorption and mitigate the failure when subjected to impact loading. In addition, the application of multi attributes decision making (MADM) tools is demonstrated for selection of fiber and matrix materials which can serve as a benchmark study for the researchers in future.     

Thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate catalyzed with CuO nanoparticles

Ammonium perchlorate (APC) is the most common oxidizer in use for solid rocket propulsion systems. However its initial thermal decomposition is an endothermic process that requires 102.5 J·g⁻¹. This manner involves high activation energy and could render high burning rate regime. This study reports on the sustainable fabrication of CuO nanoparticles as a novel catalyzing agent for APC oxidizer. Colloidal CuO nanoparticles with consistent product quality were fabricated by using hydrothermal processing. TEM micrographs demonstrated mono-dispersed particles of 15 nm particle size. XRD diffractogram demonstrated highly crystalline material. The synthesized colloidal CuO particles were effectively coated with APC particles via co-precipitation by using fast-crash solvent–antisolvent technique. The impact of copper oxide particles on APC thermal behavior has been investigated using DSC and TGA techniques. APC demonstrated an initial endothermic decomposition stage at 242 °C with subsequent two exothermic decomposition stages at 297.8 °C and 452.8 °C respectively. At 1 wt%, copper oxide offered decrease in initial endothermic decomposition stage by 30%. The main outcome of this study is that the two main exothermic decomposition peaks were merged into one single peak with an increase in total heat release by 53%. These novel features can inherit copper oxide particles unique catalyzing ability for advanced highly energetic systems.     

An efficient SPH methodology for modelling mechanical characteristics of particulate composites

Particulate composites are one of the widely used materials in producing numerous state-of-the-art components in biomedical, automobile, aerospace including defence technology. Variety of modelling techniques have been adopted in the past to model mechanical behaviour of particulate composites. Due to their favourable properties, particle-based methods provide a convenient platform to model failure or fracture of these composites. Smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is one of such methods which demonstrate excellent potential for modelling failure or fracture of particulate composites in a Lagrangian setting. One of the major challenges in using SPH method for modelling composite materials depends on accurate and efficient way to treat interface and boundary conditions. In this paper, a master-slave method based multi-freedom constraints is proposed to impose essential boundary conditions and interfacial displacement constraints in modelling mechanical behaviour of composite materials using SPH method. The proposed methodology enforces the above constraints more accurately and requires only smaller condition number for system stiffness matrix than the procedures based on typical penalty function approach. A minimum cut-off value-based error criteria is employed to improve the compu-tational efficiency of the proposed methodology. In addition, the proposed method is further enhanced by adopting a modified numerical interpolation scheme along the boundary to increase the accuracy and computational efficiency. The numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed master-slave approach yields better accuracy in enforcing displacement constraints and requires approximately the same computational time as that of penalty method.     

无电焊接材料的燃烧速度和燃烧温度研究

采用高放热性的铝热剂（CuO＋Al）并加入适当的添加剂,制备了便携式的无电焊接笔材料,其燃烧速度可控,且具有高的燃烧温度。研究了反应剂颗粒大小、混料均匀性等对无电焊接笔材料的燃烧性能的影响。结果表明：反应剂粒径对无电焊接笔的燃烧速度具有显著影响,随着反应剂粒径的增大,燃烧速度明显减慢。反应剂粒径和混料时间是影响单位时间放热量和混料均匀度的主要因素,因而对无电焊接笔的燃烧温度具有明显影响。在一定的混料时间下,反应物粉末具有最佳的混料均匀性。反应物粒径小且混料均匀性好的无电焊接笔材料,其燃烧温度高。     

薄壳结构跌落冲击仿真与试验研究

为了验证薄壳结构跌落冲击问题动态数值仿真的方法途径,设计制作了带有配重的薄壳结构,测定了材料主要力学性能,利用非线性有限元软件对该结构进行单次和累积结果的多次跌落冲击数值仿真,并进行了验证试验。对该结构的跌落冲击过程、典型位置的加速度响应、塑性变形的仿真、验证试验结果进行了对比分析,结果表明：采用的数值仿真方法和途径能够较好地研究分析薄壳结构的跌落冲击及其他同类问题。