Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Propellant Combustion
Research topics of interest:
Improved catalysts Air breathing fuels Microscale thrusters & actuators Combustion instabilities Erosive burning Advanced propellants
Igniter & Simple Nozzle Propellant
Example: Microthrusters
Current microthrusters do not focus on propellant issues High nitrogen materials can burn in small thrusters and are easily ignited at low pressures
A. N. Ali, S. F. Son, M. A. Hiskey, D. L. Naud, Novel High Nitrogen Propellant use in Solid Fuel Micropropulsion, Journal of Propulsion and Power, 20(1), pp. 120-126 (2004).
Recent Publications:
B. C. Tappan, Ali, A. N., Son, S. F. and T. B. Brill, Decomposition and ignition of the high-nitrogen compound triaminoguanidinium azotetrazolate (TAGzT), Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics v.31, no.3, p.163-168, 2006. A. N. Ali, M. M. Sandstrom, D. M. Oschwald, K. M. Moore, and S. F. Son, Laser Ignition of DAAF, DHT, and DAATO3.5, Propellants, Explosives, and Pyrotechnics 30, No. 5, pp. 351-355 (2005). D. E. Chavez, B. C. Tappan, M. A. Hiskey, S. F. Son, H. Harry, D. Montoya, S. Hagelberg, New high-nitrogen materials based on nitroguanyl-tetrazines: Explosive properties, thermal decomposition and combustion studies, Propellants, Explosives, and Pyrotechnics, 30(6), pp. 412-417 (2005). A. N. Ali, S. F. Son, B. W. Asay, and R. K. Sander, Importance of the gas phase role to the prediction of energetic material behavior: An experimental study, Journal of Applied Physics, 97(6), pp. 1-7 (2005). A.N. Ali, S.F. Son, M.Q. Brewster, M.E. Decroix, and B.W. Asay, High Irradiance Laser Ignition of Explosives, Combustion Science and Technology, 175(8), pp. 1551-1571 (2003).
500 m
Recent Publications:
V. I. Levitas, B. W. Asay, S. F. Son, and M. Pantoya, A Mechanism for Fast Reaction of Nanothermites Based on Dispersion of Liquid Metal, Accepted in Applied Physics Letters, 2006. D. G. Tasker, B. W Asay , J. C. King, V. E. Sanders, and S. F. Son Dynamic Measurements of Electrical Conductivity in Metastable Intermolecular Composites, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 99, no. 2, p.23705-1-7, 2006. B. Bockmon, M. L. Pantoya, S. F. Son, and B. W. Asay, Burning Rates and Propagation Mechanisms of Metastable Intermolecular Composites, Journal of Applied Physics, 98(6), pp. 1-7 (2005). W. L. Perry, B. L. Smith, C. J. Bulian, J. R. Busse, C. S. Macomber, R. C. Dye, and S. F. Son, Nano-Scale Tungsten Oxides For Metastable Intermolecular Composites, Propellants, Explosives, and Pyrotechnics, 29(2), pp. 99-105 (2004). D. S. Moore, S. F. Son, and B. W. Asay, The Time Resolved Spectral Emission from Deflagrating Metastable Interstitial Composites Composed of Nano-Aluminum and Nano-MoO3 Powders, Propellants, Explosives, and Pyrotechnics, 29(2), pp. 106-111 (2004). B. W. Asay, S. F. Son, J. R. Busse, and D. M. Oschwald, Ignition Characteristics of Metastable Intermolecular Composites, Propellants, Explosives, and Pyrotechnics, 29(4), pp. 216-219 (2004). M. L. Pantoya, S. F. Son, W. C. Danen, B. S. Jorgensen, B. W. Asay, and J. R. Busse, Characterization of Metastable Intermolecular Composites (MICs), (Book Chapter) Chapter 16 in Defense Applications of Nanomaterials, A. W. Miziolek, et al. Eds., an ACS Symposium Series Book, Vol. 3 (2004).
The combustion of nano-scale aluminum poorly understood Flame spread used as a means for characterizing the combustion of nanoaluminum with gaseous oxidizers
J. Y. Malchi, R. A. Yetter, S. F. Son, and G. A. Risha, NanoAluminum Flame Spread with Fingering Combustion Instabilities, Presented at the 31st International Symposium on Combustion , 2006.
Combustion Synthesis
Using combustion synthesis, beginning with a metal complex we have made ultrahigh surface area metal foams
There are many applications of these unique materials
Publications:
B. C. Tappan, M. H. Huynh, M. A. Hiskey, D. E. Chavez, and S. F. Son, Ultralow-density nanostructured metal foams: Combustion synthesis, morphology, and composition, Journal of the American Chemical Society, v.128, no.20, p.6589-6594, 2006. B. C. Tappan, M. H. Huynh, M. A. Hiskey, D. E. Chavez, E. Luther, D. L. Naud, J. T. Mang, and S. F. Son, Energetic decomposition of high-nitrogen metal complexes and the formation of low-density nanostructured metal monoliths, Material Research Society Fall Meeting, Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings, v.896, p.15-24, 2006.
Microscale combustion
Energetic materials and gaseous combustion
Applications include microthrusters, microscale actuation, and power generation Example: Combustion of Nanoscale Thermites in microchannels Microscale combustion is of interest in small-volume energydemanding systems, such as power supplies, actuation, ignition, and propulsion Dependence of propagation rate with tube diameter obtained
S. F. Son, B. W. Asay, T. J. Foley, R. A. Yetter, M. H. Wu, and G. A. Risha, Combustion of Nanoscale Al/MoO3 Thermite in Microchannels, Submitted to J. Propulsion, 2006.
1000
900
800
2000
2500
1/Diameter (m )
Publications:
A. N. Ali, S. F. Son, M. A. Hiskey, D. L. Naud, Novel High Nitrogen Propellant use in Solid Fuel Micropropulsion, Journal of Propulsion and Power, 20(1), pp. 120-126 (2004). M. H. Wu, M. P. Burke, S. F. Son, R. A. Yetter, Flame Acceleration and the Transition to Detonation of Stoichiometric Ethylene/Oxygen in Microscale Tubes, Presented at the 31st International Symposium on Combustion , 2006.
Explosives safety
Topics of interest
Deflagration to detonation transition (DDT) Thermal explosion (cook-off) Flame spread Convective burning Combustion in cracks Insensitive munitions Example: Flame Spread on PBX 9501 There is little flame spread data for homogeneous energetic materials and no data for nitramines The flame spread rate is of the same order of magnitude as normal deflagration and varies nearly as the square root of pressure, as our simple analysis predicts
S. F. Son, B. W. Asay, E. M. Whitney, and H. L. Berghout, Flame Spread Across Surfaces of PBX 9501, Presented at the 31st International Symposium on Combustion , 2006. Flame Front
Regressing Surface