Influence of particle size on the breaking of aluminum particle shells

Rupturing the alumina shell (shell-breaking) is a prerequisite for releasing energy from aluminum powder. Thermal stress overload in a high-temperature environment is an important factor in the rupture of the alumina shell. COMSOL Multiphysics was used to simulate and analyze the shell-breaking response of micron-scale aluminum particles with different particle sizes at 650 ℃ in vacuum. The simulation results show that the thermal stability time and shell-breaking response time of 10 μm-100 μm aluminum particles are 0.15 μs-11.44 μs and 0.08 μs-3.94 μs, respectively. They also reveal the direct causes of shell breaking for aluminum particles with different particle sizes. When the particle size is less than 80 μm, the shell-breaking response is a direct result of compressive stress overload. When the particle size is between 80 μm and 100 μm, the shell-breaking response is a direct result of tensile stress overload. This article provides useful guidance for research into the energy release of aluminum powder.