Influence of Temperature on the Mechanical Properties and Reactive Behavior of Al-PTFE under Quasi-Static Compression

Al-PTFE (aluminum-polytetrafluoroethylene) is a typical kind of Reactive Material (RM), which has a variety of potential applications in weapon systems. In this paper, quasi-static compression experiments were carried out for a pressed and sintered mixture of Al and PTFE powders using a microcomputer-controlled electronic universal testing machine. The results show that both the mechanical property and reactive behavior of Al-PTFE are strongly temperature-dependent. The material undergoes a brittle-ductile transition associated with a temperature-induced crystalline phase transformation of the PTFE matrix. At low temperatures (−18, 0, and 16 °C), samples of Al-PTFE failed with shear crack and no reaction was observed. As the temperature increased (22, 35, and 80 °C), Al-PTFE exhibited a high toughness and violent reaction occurred in all of the tested samples. Scanning electron microscope observations showed different fracture mechanisms of the PTFE matrix and the increase in toughness was due to the formation of PTFE fibrils which could dissipate energy and bridge crack plane during plastic deformation.