Alexander Korotkikh

Laboratory Method for Measurement of the Specific Impulse of Solid Propellants

A new laboratory express-method of determining the specific impulse of solid propellants based on the measurement of the reactive force of gasification products escaping from the burning propellant surface is presented in this work. The values of the specific impulse for a model composite solid propellant by varying the pressure in the combustion chamber are determined.

Nanometals: Synthesis and Application in Energetic Systems

Abstract A survey of metal nanopowders or nanometals (mostly produced by electrical explosion of wires) usage in different energetic systems is carried out with the focus on nanometals combustion efficiency. Improved kinetic characteristics of chemically reacting systems (ignition, burning rate enhancement for propellants, explosives, and thermites) are typical for nanoaluminum, nAl. A weak correlation between nAl properties and the slow oxidation parameters was found as the result of a very wide scatter in powder characteristics. The burning rate enhancement was analyzed for nAl-loaded solid propellants. The most promising energetic systems are nAl-loaded solid fuels (HTPB-based, ice-based, etc.) with chemically inert matrices.

Study of Ignition of High-Energy Materials with Boron and Aluminum and Titanium Diborides

This paper describes the ignition of high-energy materials (HEMs) on the basis of ammonium perchlorate and ammonium nitrate and an energetic binder, containing the powders of Al (base composition), B, AlB2, AlB12, and TiB2, upon initiation of the process by a CO2 laser in the heat flux density range of 90–200 W/cm2. The ignition delay time and surface temperature of the reaction layer during the heating and ignition of HEMs in air are determined. It is obtained that the complete replacement of a micron-sized aluminum powder by amorphous boron in the composition of HEMs significantly reduces the ignition delay time of the sample (by 2.2–2.8 times) with the same heat flux density, and this occurs due to the high chemical activity of and difference between the mechanisms of oxidation of boron particles. The use of aluminum diboride in HEMs reduces the ignition delay time by 1.7–2.2 times in comparison with the base composition. The ignition delay time of the HEM sample with titanium diboride decreases slightly (by 10–25%) relative to the ignition delay time of the base composition.

Combustion and agglomeration of aluminized high-energy compositions

The results of combustion study for high-energy compositions (HECs) based on ammonium perchlorate (AP), butadiene rubber and ultrafine powder (UFP) aluminum Alex, and agglomeration of metal particles on the burning surface and composition of condensed combustion products (CCPs) are presented. It was found that partial replacement 2 wt. % of Alex by iron UFP in HEC increases the burning rate 1.3—1.4 times at the range of nitrogen pressure 2.0-7.5 MPa and reduces the mean diameter of CCPs particles d43 from 37.4 μm to 33.5 μm at pressure ~ 4 MPa. Upon partial replacement 2 wt. % of Alex by boron UFP in HEC the recoil force of gasification products outflow from burning surface is increased by 9 % and the burning rate of HEC does not change in the above pressure range, while the mean diameter of CCPs particles is reduced to 32.6 μm at p ~ 4 MPa.