Mechanism and influence factors on energy-release capacity under the high-velocity impact fragmentation of Zr-Nb alloys

For investigating the mechanisms of microstructures and mechanical properties on energy-release capacity under high velocity impacting process of reactive structural materials (RSMs). Zr-Nb alloys with different Nb content were prepared via powder metallurgy. Both the α/β phase proportion and phase distribution vary with Nb content. The energy-release capacity under high-velocity impaction of Zr-Nb alloys shows an obvious difference. Micro-analyzing reveals that the smaller size of fragments after impaction is crucial for facilitating Zr reaction with oxygen, resulting in better energy-release capacity. However, the size of fragments after impaction is not only determined by the plasticity of alloys but also influenced by the microstructure. A continuous distribution of brittle α surrounding β is beneficial to controlling crack propagation path and forming fragments with small sizes. In the present work, the Zr-20 Nb alloy exhibits excellent energy-release capacity.