“To B or not To B” or “ways to combine Boron & Aluminum for Energetic Applications”.
Solutions were presented in 2012-2013 and we think they’re worth reading.
These papers from University of Utah just made the VALIMET Literature page list:
- “Synthesis, Characterization and Energetic Performance of Metal Boride Compounds for Insensitive Energetic Materials”;
- “Combustion of Metal Particles in Gaseous Detonation Products”;
- “Effect of synthesis atmosphere, wetting, and compaction on the purity of AlB2”
The main author, Michael Whittaker, PhD, is now at Lawrence Berkeley Labs (LBNL) and CeramTec – The Ceramic Experts – contributed to the work.
They narrowed down to Al + 2B as the most viable solution and approached the discussion on possible processing routes.
Let us zoom-out for a moment.
At VALIMET, we’d like to draw attention for young engineers of all ages to the latest developments in the field of Hypersonics.
When vehicles push to Mach 5, the questions quickly multiply: which propellants can make it happen? Which structural materials can survive the mechanical and thermal stresses?
Exploring those questions requires a starting point—and that’s where Universities and Research Centers play a foundational role.
#Aluminum #Rockets #RocketEngines #Propellants #AluminumAlloys #SpaceIndustry #Defense #Hypersonics #Hong Yong Sohn #STEM #AcademicResearch