Energetic materials using amorphous metals and metal alloys

• US 9,573,858 B1
• Filed: 03/25/2010
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mainstream Engineering Coporation
• Original Assignee: Energetic Materials Using Amorphous Metals and Metal Alloys
• Inventors: Brothers, Alan H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Felton, Aileen B
• Application Number:
  US12/731,295
• Time in Patent Office: 2,525 Days
• Field of Search: 102/473
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 33/00 Compositions containing particulate metal, alloy, boron, silicon, selenium or tellurium with at least one oxygen supplying material which is either a metal oxide or a salt, organic or inorganic, capable of yielding a metal oxide
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 45/00 Compositions or products which are defined by structure or arrangement of component of product explosive charges of particular form or shape F42B1/00, F42B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: C06B 47/10 a component containing free boron, an organic borane or a binary compound of boron, except with oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: C06D 5/10 by reaction of solids with liquids
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/207 characterised by the explosive material or the construction of the high explosive warhead, e.g. insensitive ammunition
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 12/44 of incendiary type F42B12/46 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for improving the characteristics of energetic materials uses amorphous metals as one or more reactant of said materials. Improvements in properties and energy release characteristics for a wide range of energetic materials are obtained thereby, particularly in terms of processability, mechanical properties, and ignition behavior for solid energetic materials.

Claims

1. An energetic material system, comprising a fuel consisting substantially of at least one reactant of amorphous metal or amorphous metal alloy and which constitutes at least a structural portion of a bullet, shell, missile, bomb, munition, drone or delivery system which incorporates the energetic material system.

2. The energetic material system according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous metal or amorphous metal alloy is selected so as to have a large negative enthalpy of reaction with oxygen or with at least one of fluorine, chlorine and bromine.

3. The energetic material system according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous metal or amorphous metal alloy comprises more than 50 atomic percent of at least one of lithium, beryllium, sodium, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, calcium, scandium, titanium, chromium, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, lanthanum, cerium, gadolinium, hafnium, and tantalum.

4. The energetic material system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one reactant is capable of participating in at least one of a thermite reaction, an intermetallic synthesis reaction and a combustion reaction.

5. The energetic material system according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous metal or amorphous metal alloy is at least one fuel in the energetic material system having an oxidizer and is combinable with the oxidizer.

6. The energetic material system according to claim 5, where the oxidizer is a solid material.

7. The energetic material system according to claim 5, wherein the oxidizer is one of an oxygen-bearing fluid and a halogenated fluid.

8. The energetic material system according to claim 1, further comprising a metal or a nonmetal to be combinable with the amorphous metal or amorphous metal alloy in an intermetallic synthesis reaction.

9. Ammunition device incorporating the energetic material system according to claim 1, wherein the amorphous metal or amorphous metal alloy is selected so as to provide shear-induced ignition.