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Designer Direct Ink Write 3D-Printed Thermites with Tunable Energy Release Rates

Journal Article · · Advanced Engineering Materials
 [1];  [2];  [2]
  1. Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  2. Materials Science DirectorateLawrence Livermore National Laboratory Livermore CA 94550 USA
Breakthroughs in additive manufacturing (AM), particularly direct ink write 3D printing, have allowed for greater control of material performance by manipulation of architecture and/or spatial composition. Herein, the range of control over the dynamic energy release rate in 3D-printed Al/CuO thermite is quantified by substituting random porous pathways present in powder beds or compacts with printed void channels to modulate the energy transport during a reaction. The thermite is produced via on-the-fly static mixing of constituent Al and CuO inks, which offers a safe way to handle these materials. By reducing the fundamental burn unit size (i.e., filament size) and introducing small amounts of engineered porosity for gas flow, it is shown that energy release rates can be increased by more than 100 times that of maximum print density strips. Unique channel structures, which display propagation velocities of over 100 m s-1 due to confinement of gas flow, are reported. Ashby plots that show the reactivity design space for 3D-printed thermites are presented as a function of the effective print/energy density. Finally, architecting with AM tailors an object to release its energy in a prescribed way, and this control adds much-needed versatility by allowing a single formulation to satisfy multiple applications.
Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1607850
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1579757
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL--777542; 969327
Journal Information:
Advanced Engineering Materials, Journal Name: Advanced Engineering Materials Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 22; ISSN 1438-1656
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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