Energy Release Rate Characterization of Additively Manufactured Al/PVDF with Varying Infill Densities and Patterns

View Video Presentation: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-0574.vid Energetic Al/PVDF pyrotechnics can be additively manufactured into custom geometries by commercially available fused filament fabrication printers. This theoretically allows Al/PVDF systems to be tailored for a wide variety of multifunctional needs, such as reactive structures. In this study, outwardly identical Al/PVDF samples are prepared with different energy densities by varying the infill pattern, infill density, and interior geometry. High speed videography measurements estimate the overall energy release rate. An Ashby plot contrasting the energy density and energy release rate is obtained. While full density printed samples burn similarly to cast propellant strands, the energy release rates of additively manufactured Al/PVDF can be increased via convective combustion by varying the infill type and density. These results have significance for the fields of structural energetics and for additive manufacturing studies of energetic materials.