Electrostatic Discharge Sensitivity and Electrical Conductivity of Composite Energetic Materials

Abstract

Composite energetic material response to electrical stimuli was investigated and a correlation between electrical conductivity and ignition sensitivity was examined. The composites consisted of micrometer particle aluminum combined with another metal, metal oxide, or fluoropolymer. Of the nine tested mixtures, aluminum (Al) with copper oxide (CuO) was the only mixture to ignite by electrostatic discharge. Under the loose powder conditions of these experiments, the AleCuO minimum ignition energy (MIE) is 25 mJ and exhibited an electrical conductivity two orders of magnitude higher than the next composite. This study showed a similar trend in MIE for ignition triggered by a discharged spark compared with a thermal hot wire source.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA596470

Entities

People

  • Chelsea Weir
  • Daniel Prentice
  • Gautham Ramachandran
  • Michelle L. Pantoya
  • Tim Dallas

Organizations

  • Texas Tech University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aluminum Oxides
  • Burning Rate
  • Electric Fields
  • Electrical Conductivity
  • Electrical Properties
  • Electrical Resistance
  • Electromagnetic Fields
  • Electrostatics
  • Energetic Materials
  • Energy Transfer
  • Explosives
  • Hot Wire
  • Ignition
  • Ignition Lag
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Particle Size

Readers

  • Plasma Physics.
  • Rocket Propulsion.
  • Surface Engineering/Surface Coating Technology.