Modeling studies of the effect of thermal and electrical conductivities and relative density of field-activated self-propagating combustion synthesis

Abstract

The role of the electrical conductivity of the product and of the thermal conductivities of the reactants on self-propagating combustion synthesis was investigated through modeling studies. Similar studies were made to investigate the role of the relative density of the reactants. The effect of an imposed electric field on the results of the modeling analysis was considered. For any given imposed field, the wave velocity exhibited a maximum at a given normalized thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, and relative density. The results are discussed in terms of the Joule heat contribution of the field and are compared with experimental observations.