Effect Of Boron Content In B·BiF3 And B·Bi Composites On Their Ignition And Combustion

Abstract

Composite powders combining boron with BiF3 and Bi in different amounts were prepared by high energy milling. Thermal analysis in an argon-oxygen mixture showed significant oxidation starting about 200 K lower than for pure boron. Selective oxidation of metallic Bi at low temperatures was observed. Composites containing either Bi or BiF3 ignited more readily than pure boron when heated by a CO2 laser beam. The composites containing BiF3 ignited more readily than boron when in contact with a hot wire. Burn times of particles aerosolized in air and ignited using the CO2 laser were measured as durations of the recorded emission pulses produced by burning particles. Statistical distributions of the measured burn times were correlated with the respective powder's particle size distributions. Compared to elemental boron, burn times of all prepared composites were shorter, including those containing only 10 wt.% of BiF3 or ca. 8 wt.% of Bi, and for most composites combustion temperatures were higher.

Department(s)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Comments

Office of Naval Research, Grant N00014-19-1-2048

Keywords and Phrases

Metal combustion; Particle combustion; Propellants; Thermal analysis

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1556-2921; 0010-2180

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2026 The Combustion Institute, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2020

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