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The Effect of Additives on the Burning Rate of Silicon‐Calcium Sulfate Pyrotechnic Delay Compositions
Author(s) -
Tichapondwa Shepherd M.,
Focke Walter W.,
Del Fabbro Olinto,
Labuschagne George
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1521-4087
pISSN - 0721-3115
DOI - 10.1002/prep.201500243
Subject(s) - inert , fumed silica , particle size , combustion , chemistry , antimony trioxide , calcium , ternary operation , silicon , enthalpy , materials science , particle (ecology) , inorganic chemistry , chemical engineering , metallurgy , organic chemistry , fire retardant , thermodynamics , physics , computer science , engineering , programming language , oceanography , geology
The effect of fuel particle size as well as the influence of inert and reactive additives on the burning rate of the Si‐CaSO 4 composition was evaluated. The burning rate decreased with increase in fuel particle size, while the enthalpy remained constant. Addition of fuels to the base composition increased the burning rate, with an increase from 12.5 mm ⋅ s −1 to 43 mm ⋅ s −1 being recorded upon 10 wt‐% Al addition. Ternary mixtures of silicon, calcium sulfate, and an additional oxidizer generally decreased the burning rate, with the exception of bismuth trioxide, where it increased. The Si‐CaSO 4 formulation was found to be sensitive to the presence of inert material, addition of as little as 1 wt‐% fumed silica stifled combustion in the aluminum tubes.