Structure of heterogeneous condensed mixtures

An analog method of random arrangement of solid spheres in space (solid disks in a plane) is proposed. The method consists of calculating the evolution of a system of spheres to an equilibrium state in which they do not intersect. This method was used to study the statistic structure of metallized compound solid propellants. Parametric investigation of various properties of solid propellants was performed over a wide range of aluminum particle sizes and component concentrations. It is shown that sinters whose dimensions depend linearly on the oxidizer particle size can form in combustion of the propellants. Special features leading to the formation of the sinters are studied. It is shown that at aluminum concentrations in the propellant higher than a certain critical concentration, combustion can yield a stable residue of sintered aluminum particles which is similar in shape to the solid propellant charge.