Novel Reactive Structural Materials

Materials and Manufacturing Systems, Inc. (MATSYS) proposes to develop novel reactive structural materials for the enhancement of munitions lethality. This effort will combine our unique expertise in instrumented-Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) with new approaches in intermetallic design to develop a new generation of cost-efficient, high strength and reactive composites. The proposed material system will have a blend of three elemental powders, consisting of two highly reactive materials interspersed with a reactive "binder" material. The powder blend will be consolidated to full density to maximize the mechanical properties, and below the reaction temperature to preserve the energy for release upon target impact. The existence of three different powders will allow for tailoring of mechanical and reactive properties of the composite by varying the volume fraction of each element, and adjusting the particle size. MATSYS high temperature sensor for real-time monitoring of HIP combined with our consolidation models will enable rapid characterization of densification of powder mixtures, identification of mixtures of interest, and insertion of this new class of materials. MATSYS will demonstrate the versatility of the approach by fabricating high strength and reactive composites that will enhance the munitions lethality by releasing a large amount of exothermal heat upon target impact.