Structural energetic materials (SEM) are a class of multicomponent materials which may react under various conditions to release energy. Fragmentation and impact induced reaction are not well characterized phenomena in SEMs. The structural energetic systems under consideration here combine aluminum with one or more of the following: nickel, tantalum, tungsten, and/or zirconium. These metal+Al systems were formulated with powders and consolidated using explosive compaction or the gas dynamic cold spray process. Fragment size distributions of the indicated metal+Al systems were explored; mean fragment sizes were found to be smaller than those from homogeneous ductile metals at comparable strain rates, posing a reduced risk to innocent bystanders if used in munitions. Extensive interface failure was observed which suggested that the interface density of these systems was an important parameter in their fragmentation. Existing fragmentation models for ductile materials did not adequately capture the fragmentation behavior of the structural energetic materials in question. A correction was suggested to modify an existing fragmentation model to expand its applicability to structural energetic materials. Fragment data demonstrated that the structural energetic materials in question provided a significant mass of combustible fragments. The potential combustion enthalpy of these fragments was shown to be significant. Impact experiments were utilized to study impact induced reaction in the indicated metal+Al SEM systems. Mesoscale parametric simulations of these experiments indicated that the topology of the microstructure constituents, particularly the stronger phase(s), played a significant role in regulating impact induced reactions. Materials in which the hard phase was topologically connected were more likely to react at a lower impact velocity due to plastic deformation induced temperature increases. When a compliant matrix surrounded stronger, simply connected particles, the compliant matrix accommodated nearly all of the deformation, which limited plastic deformation induced temperature increases in the stronger particles and reduced reactivity. Decreased difference between the strength of the constituents in the material also increased reactivity. The results presented here demonstrate that the fragmentation and reaction of metal+Al structural energetic materials are influenced by composition, microstructure topology, interface density, and constituent mechanical properties.

This investigation is focused on the understanding of mechanical and chemical reaction behaviors of stoichiometric mixtures of nano- and micro-scale aluminum and hematite (Fe2O3) powders dispersed in epoxy. Epoxy-cast Al+Fe2O3 thermite composites are an example of a structural energetic material that can simultaneously release energy while providing structural strength. The structural and energetic response of this material system is investigated by characterizing the mechanical behavior under high-strain rate and shock loading conditions. The mechanical response and reaction behavior are closely interlinked through deformation characteristics. It is, therefore, desirable to understand the deformation behavior up to and beyond failure and establish the necessary stress and strain states required for initiating chemical reactions. The composite s behavior has been altered by changing two main processing parameters; the reactants particle size and the relative volume fraction of the epoxy matrix. This study also establishes processing techniques necessary for incorporating nanometric-scale reactants into energetic material systems. The mechanochemical behavior of epoxy-cast Al+Fe2O3 composites and the influence of epoxy volume fraction have been evaluated for a variety of loading conditions over a broad range of strain rates, which include low-strain rate or quasistatic loading experiments (10-4 to 10-2 1/s), medium-strain rate Charpy and Taylor impacts (103 to 104 1/s), and high-strain rate parallel-plate impacts (105 to 106 1/s). In general, structural strength and toughness have been observed to improve as the volume fraction of epoxy decreases, regardless of the loading strain rate regime explored. Hugoniot experiments show damage occurring at approximately the same critical impact stress for compositions prepared with significantly different volume fractions of the epoxy binder phase. Additionally, Taylor impact experiments have indicated evidence for strain-induced chemical reactions, which subject the composite to large shear accompanied by temperature increase and associated softening, preceding these reactions. Overall, the work aims to establish an understanding of the microstructural influence on mechanical behavior and chemical reactivity exhibited by epoxy-cast Al+Fe2O3 materials when exposed to high stress and high-strain loading conditions. The understanding of fundamental aspects and the results of impact experiment measurements provide information needed for the design of structural energetic materials.

The objective of this work is to evaluate the reaction initiation characteristics of quasi-statically compressed intermetallic-forming aluminum-based reactive materials upon impact initiation, consisting of equi-volumetric tantalum-aluminum, tungsten-aluminum, nickel-aluminum, and pure aluminum. A modified Taylor rod-on-anvil setup was employed to determine the reaction initiation threshold kinetic energy and actual energy for plastic deformation and subsequent reaction. Experimental sample remnants were recovered and examined through X-ray diffraction to determine reaction products.The overall results indicate that of the various intermetallic-forming systems investigated, Ta+Al was the most reactive and was the only system where any reaction products were retrieved. While all of the intermetallic systems reacted in air, only Ta+Al and W+Al reacted in vacuum environment suggesting differences in reaction mechanisms influencing the reactivity of intermetallic mixtures. Based on the threshold energy for onset of reaction it appears that the Ta-Al compacts show reaction conditions below those required for reaction of Al in air. This combined with the fact that Ta+Al compacts also react in vacuum implies that the Ta+Al undergoes anaerobic intermetallic reaction while the other systems react with the oxidation of Al. The effect of compact packing density on the kinetic energy threshold for reaction initiation were also evaluated. It was observed more densely packed Ta+Al and Ni+Al powder compacts react more easily than less densely packed samples. While the effect of packing density is not as obvious in the case of pure Al and W+Al powder compacts. Finally, a particle size effect is seen on Ni+Al on samples of < 92% density where coarser (+325 -200 mesh) equal-volumetric powder mixtures were observed to be more reactive than finer Ni+Al (-325 mesh).

This work focuses on understanding the impact-initiated combustion of aluminum powder compacts. Aluminum is typically one of the components of intermetallic-forming structural energetic materials (SEMs), which have the desirable combination of rapid release of thermal energy and high yield strength. Aluminum powders of various sizes and different levels of mechanical pre-activation are investigated to determine their reactivity under uniaxial stress rod-on-anvil impact conditions, using a 7.62 mm gas gun. The compacts reveal light emission due to combustion upon impact at velocities greater than 170 m/s. Particle size and mechanical pre-activation influence the initiation of aluminum combustion reaction through particle-level processes such as localized friction, strain, and heating, as well as continuum-scale effects controlling the amount of energy required for compaction and deformation of the powder compact during uniaxial stress loading. Compacts composed of larger diameter aluminum particles (~70µm) are more sensitive to impact initiated combustion than those composed of smaller diameter particles. Additionally, mechanical pre-activation by high energy ball milling (HEBM) increases the propensity for reaction initiation. Direct imaging using high-speed framing and IR cameras reveals light emission and temperature rise during the compaction and deformation processes. Correlations of these images to meso-scale CTH simulations reveal that initiation of combustion reactions in aluminum powder compacts is closely tied to mesoscale processes, such as particle-particle interactions, pore collapse, and particle-level deformation. These particle level processes cannot be measured directly because traditional pressure and velocity sensors provide spatially averaged responses. In order to address this issue, quantum dots (QDs) are investigated as possible meso-scale pressure sensors for probing the shock response of heterogeneous materials directly. Impact experiments were conducted on a QD-polymer film using a laser driven flyer setup at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Time-resolved spectroscopy was used to monitor the energy shift and intensity loss as a function of pressure over nanosecond time scales. Shock compression of a QD-PVA film results in an upward shift in energy (or a blueshift in the emission spectra) and a decrease in emission intensity. The magnitude of the shift in energy and the drop in intensity are a function of the shock pressure and can be used to track the particle scale differences in the shock pressure. The encouraging results illustrate the possible use of quantum dots as mesoscale diagnostics to probe the mechanisms involved in the impact initiation of combustion or intermetallic reactions.