Reactive Liners Prepared Using Powders of Aluminum and Aluminum-Magnesium Alloys

Cylindrical reactive liners filled with powders of aluminum, aluminum-magnesium alloys, and aluminum-magnesium powder blends were prepared and initiated by a centrally located explosive charge. The experiments were performed in a cubic chamber. Several transient pressure measurements were taken in addition to the quasistatic pressure caused by the explosion. Results were compared against a reference case with an inert liner filled with aluminum oxide powder. For all reactive liners, an increase in both quasistatic pressure and blast wave strength were observed compared to the case of an inert liner. In experiments with mechanically alloyed Al⋅Mg powders, the quasistatic pressure is effectively the same as in experiments with pure aluminum. An improvement in the achieved quasistatic pressure is observed for the liners with a cast alloyed Al⋅Mg powder. Most interestingly, a substantial contribution to the air blast indicative of very early reaction occurring in sub-millisecond time scale is observed for all experiments with reactive liners. The most substantial improvement in the blast characteristics is observed in experiments with mechanically alloyed Al⋅Mg powders. While the mechanisms of prompt reactions of metals and alloys remain largely unexplored, the present results highlight the importance of such reactions for reactive liners and other components of energetic systems.