SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 March 2026
STP165320240066

Design of Experiments Evaluating the Ignition Characteristics and Flammability of Bulk Refractory Alloys

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The combustion behavior of bulk refractory alloys is of particular interest in the field of aerospace due to their potential application under extremely high temperatures or harsh combustion conditions. However, their high ignition thresholds make it difficult to sustain combustion using traditional test methods with millimeter-scale samples, even in oxygen-enriched atmospheres. To address this challenge, this study proposes a test method using thin strip samples with thickness under 1.0 mm to evaluate the combustion behavior of bulk refractory metals. We used a high-powered laser as a heating source and a high-speed camera to capture ignition and combustion processes in order to examine the ignition characteristics and flammability of equiatomic titanium-niobium (TiNb), zirconium-niobium (ZrNb), and titanium-zirconium-niobium (TiZrNb) refractory alloys, as well as pure Nb, using samples ranging from 0.20 to 0.50 mm in thickness. Controlling sample thickness in 0.1-mm intervals resulted in relative standard deviations of less than 20% for both ignition delay time and volumetric combustion velocity, confirming the precision of the method. Among the four studied materials, TiZrNb showed the shortest ignition delay time and fastest combustion velocity. Postcombustion microstructure analysis revealed that the combustion was primarily driven by the oxidation of Ti and Zr, while Nb remained largely unreacted, forming an Nb-rich metallic region inside the oxide zone that eventually dropped out as the flame propagated. This laser-based approach provides an effective method for assessing the combustion properties of refractory materials and investigating the detailed mechanism governing combustion.

Author Information

Li, Xiu-Wen
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Liu, Heling
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Ke, Huibin
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN Yangtze Delta Region Academy of Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhejiang, CN
Tang, Yong
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Dong, Wei
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Huang, Chenming
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Wang, Xiaoyu
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Jin, Ke
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN Yangtze Delta Region Academy of Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhejiang, CN Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Guo, Xun
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Shi, Baolu
School of Aerospace Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN
Xue, Yunfei
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CN Yangtze Delta Region Academy of Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhejiang, CN
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Details
Pages: 104–123
DOI: 10.1520/STP165320240066
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-7754-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-7753-6