Products formed upon combustion of [40 FeSi + 30 FeSiN + 30 ZrSiO 4 (zircon)] + xAl (x = 1.0-10, all figures in wt %) mixtures in nitrogen gas under pressure were characterized by XRD and SEM, with special emphasis on the impact of aluminum additives. Nitrogen content of combustion products and burning velocity were measured as a function of Al content x, nitrogen pressure P and sample diameter ∅. Stable frontal combustion observed at x = 6%, P = 4 MPa, and ∅ = 35 mm was found to yield a product containing β-