Synthesis and properties of Al-based composite applied to solid propellant

A new type of Al-based composite was prepared by using mechanical alloying method.The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction,differential scanning calorimetry and scanning electron microscopy.The differences between Al-based composite and Al were compared in combustion heat,density,oxygen-consuming mass and the contribution to the energy of HTPB/AP propellant.The catalytic performance of the Al-based composite for ammonium perchlorate(AP) decomposition was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry.The results show that the density and oxygen consumption of Al-based composite which is mainly composed of Al and MgH2 are 2.476 3 g/cm3,0.890 8 g(O2)/g respectively.The actual combustion heat was not less than 30 000 kJ/kg,and the combustion efficiency was up to 94%.Al-based composite has good general properties.Replacing Al with Al-based composite in HTPB/AP propellant can increase the energy.Al-based composite has better catalytic activity for the thermal decomposition of AP.