Claims
- 1. A method of making a sintered reactive material, comprising:
blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprising at least one fluoropolymer in an inert organic media to disperse the fuel particles in the polymer matrix and form a reactive material; drying the reactive material; pressing the reactive material to obtain a shaped preform; and sintering the shaped preform in an inert atmosphere to form the sintered reactive material.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises selecting the fuel particles to comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zirconium, titanium, and magnesium.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises selecting the fuel particles to comprise at least one member selected from the group consisting of reactive nonoxidized metals and reactive nonoxidized metalloids.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises providing the fuel particles at an average size less than about 500 microns.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises providing the fuel particles in an amount sufficient to account for up to approximately 35 weight percent of a total weight of the sintered reactive material.
- 6. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises providing the fuel particles in an amount sufficient to account for approximately 15 weight percent to 35 weight percent of the total weight of the sintered reactive material.
- 7. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises providing the fuel particles in an amount sufficient to account for approximately 25 weight percent to 30 weight percent of the total weight of the sintered reactive material.
- 8. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises providing the fuel particles at an average size of not greater than about 250 microns.
- 9. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises providing the fuel particles at an average size in a range of approximately 1 micron to 10 microns.
- 10. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises selecting the fuel particles to comprise aluminum.
- 11. The method of claim 1, wherein pressing the reactive material to obtain a shaped preform comprises pressing the reactive material at a pressure ranging from approximately 3000 psi to 10000 psi.
- 12. The method of claim 1, wherein sintering the shaped preform in an inert atmosphere comprises avoiding oxidization of the fuel particles.
- 13. The method of claim 1, wherein sintering the shaped preform in an inert atmosphere comprises heating the shaped preform at a temperature from 350° C. to 385° C.
- 14. The method of claim 1, wherein sintering the shaped preform in an inert atmosphere to form the sintered reactive material comprises forming the sintered reactive material having a tensile strength greater than about 1800 psi and a strain greater than about 30% elongation at break.
- 15. The method of claim 1, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprising at least one fluoropolymer in an inert organic media comprises blending the fuel particles and the polymer matrix in an environment that at least essentially excludes oxygen.
- 16. The method of claim 1, wherein drying the reactive material to obtain a shaped preform comprises drying the reactive material in an environment that at least essentially excludes oxygen.
- 17. The method of claim 1, wherein pressing the reactive material to obtain a shaped preform comprises the reactive material in an environment that at least essentially excludes oxygen.
- 18. A method of making a sintered reactive material, comprising:
blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprising at least one fluoropolymer in an inert organic media to disperse the fuel particles in the polymer matrix and form a reactive material; drying the reactive material; pressing the reactive material to obtain a shaped preform; and sintering the shaped preform in an inert atmosphere to form the sintered reactive material, the sintered reactive material having a tensile strength greater than about 1800 psi and a strain greater than about 30% elongation at break.
- 19. The method of claim 18, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises providing the fuel particles at an average size of less than 500 microns.
- 20. The method of claim 18, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises selecting the fuel particles to comprise at least one reactive nonoxidized metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zirconium, titanium, and magnesium.
- 21. The method of claim 18, wherein blending the fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises providing the fuel particles to account for approximately 15 weight percent to 35 weight percent of a total weight of the sintered reactive material.
- 22. The method of claim 18, wherein blending the fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprises blending aluminum particles and the polymer matrix.
- 23. The method of claim 18, wherein blending fuel particles and a polymer matrix comprising at least one fluoropolymer in an inert organic media comprises blending the fuel particles and the polymer matrix in an environment that at least essentially excludes oxygen.
- 24. The method of claim 18, wherein drying the reactive material comprises drying the reactive material in an environment that at least essentially excludes oxygen.
- 25. The method of claim 18, wherein pressing the reactive material to obtain a shaped preform comprises pressing the reactive material in an environment that at least essentially excludes oxygen.
- 26. A reactive material, comprising:
a polymeric matrix comprising at least one sintered fluoropolymer; and energetic fuel particles dispersed in the polymeric matrix, the energetic fuel particles comprising at least one nonoxidized metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zirconium, titanium, and magnesium.
- 27. The reactive material of claim 26, wherein the energetic fuel particles account for approximately 15 weight percent to 35 weight percent of the total weight of the reactive material.
- 28. The reactive material of claim 26, wherein the energetic fuel particles have an average size less than about 500 microns.
- 29. The reactive material of claim 26, wherein the average size of the energetic fuel particles is not greater than about 250 microns.
- 30. The reactive material of claim 26, wherein the average size of the energetic fuel particles is in a range of approximately 1 micron to 10 microns.
- 31. The reactive material of claim 26, wherein the energetic fuel particles comprise aluminum.
- 32. The reactive material of claim 26, wherein the reactive material has a tensile strength greater than about 1800 psi and a strain greater than about 30% elongation at break.
- 33. A warhead, comprising:
a liner comprising a reactive material, the reactive material comprising a polymeric matrix comprising at least one sintered fluoropolymer and energetic fuel particles dispersed in the polymeric matrix, the energetic fuel particles comprising at least one nonoxidized metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, zirconium, titanium, and magnesium. approximately 15 weight percent to 35 weight percent of the total weight of the reactive material.
- 34. The warhead of claim 33, wherein the energetic fuel particles have an average size less than about 500 microns.
- 35. The warhead of claim 33, wherein the average size of the energetic fuel particles is not greater than about 250 microns.
- 36. The warhead of claim 33, wherein the average size of the energetic fuel particles is in a range of approximately 1 micron to 10 microns.
- 37. The warhead of claim 33, wherein the energetic fuel particles comprise aluminum.
- 38. The warhead of claim 33, wherein the reactive material has a tensile strength greater than about 1800 psi and a strain greater than about 30% elongation at break.
- 39. The warhead of claim 33, wherein the liner is continuous.
- 40. The warhead of claim 33, wherein the liner is noncontinuous.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/789,479, filed Feb. 21, 2001, pending, which application claims the benefit of provisional application 60/184,316 filed on Feb. 23, 2000, the complete disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
GOVERNMENT LICENSING RIGHTS
[0002] The U.S. Government has a paid-up license in this invention and the right in limited circumstances to require the patent owner to license others on reasonable terms as provided for by the terms of NCRADA-NSWCDD-00-035 awarded by the Naval Surface Warfare Center.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60184316 |
Feb 2000 |
US |
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09789479 |
Feb 2001 |
US |
Child |
10462437 |
Jun 2003 |
US |