Thermochemical characteristics of Ce95Al5 material and perforation behavior of its liner on steel targets

Cerium-aluminum (CeAl) alloy is promising reactive structural materials (RSMs) with significant potential for liner applications. To investigate the thermochemical characteristics of CeAl alloy and the perforation behavior of its liner impacting steel targets, a CeAl alloy liner with 5 wt% Al content was fabricated, with a cerium (Ce) liner and a copper (Cu) liner used as control. The microstructure and elemental distribution of the CeAl alloy were analyzed using SEM, EDS, and XRD. The thermochemical reaction mechanism of the CeAl alloy was examined through TG-DSC. Penetration experiments were conducted to explore the combined effects of invasion and implosion of CeAl alloy liner against steel target. The results indicate that the addition of Al leads to the formation of Ce 3 Al intermetallic compounds in the alloy and reduces the apparent activation energy of the Ce-based alloy by around 53.17%, thereby facilitating energy release. The presence of 5 wt% Al increases the calorific value by approximately 24.5%, and this change allows the oxidation process to be divided into three distinct stages. Compared to an inert copper liner, the average penetration diameter of the CeAl5 reactive alloy liner increases by around 42.78%. Furthermore, when compared to the Ce liner, the penetration depth of the CeAl5 reactive alloy liner increases by approximately 82.64%.