A Thermal Study of a Simple Al−CuO Pyrotechnic Crackle Composition

Abstract

The reaction temperature in ignited samples of a novel, chemically simple pyrotechnic crackle composition was monitored at 1 ms intervals by means of a small embedded thermocouple. Analysis of the results reveals that an exothermic reaction is detectable at temperatures as low as 500 K. The reaction is found to progress in at least three – and probably four – steps that correlate well with similar findings from the study of nanocomposites of the same composition. The first two steps are shown to be associated with the crackle's delay phase. The transition to the explosive phase is shown to occur at a temperature significantly above the melting point of aluminum, being triggered at or beyond the temperature of operation of the third reaction step. The results provide a behavioral baseline for the future study of more complex crackle compositions.

Peptide Assembly of Al/CuO Nanothermite for Enhanced Reactivity of Nanoaluminum Particles

“…As a hot research topic in recent years, nanothermites have found uses in a multitude of applications. These include their uses as detonation initiators [ 6 ], pyrotechnics [ 7 ], aerospace devices [ 8 , 9 ], airbag ignition materials [ 10 ], and in biomedical applications [ 11 , 12 ].…”