Ignition mechanism of the titanium–boron pyrotechnic mixture

Abstract

Titanium–boron pyrotechnic reactions are essentially gasless, are very exothermic, and are known to initiate only at extremely high temperatures. The reactants are stable in normal laboratory environments and require no special sample handling, such as inert storage. These factors make the titanium–boron mixture ideal for one‐shot thermal heat source applications. Mound has been investigating energetic material ignition properties for a number of years. Pyrotechnic mixtures of TiH_x/KClO₄ have revealed that the surface composition of the titanium fuel was TiO₂ and its presence on the fuel's surface controls the TiH_x + KClO₄ reaction. In the present study the surface chemistry of titanium and of boron have been examined before ignition. To understand the effect of temperature on the reactants and the mixture, titanium powder, boron powder, and blends were analyzed at ambient and elevated temperatures. XPS, TG and DTA results presented will show that the oxide on boron is the controlling factor in the ignition mechanism of the titanium–boron pyrotechnic reaction.