Study on the initiation of a thermite reaction in aluminum coated steel with a high-velocity impact

Both theoretical and experimental studies have been performed in order to investigate the feasibility of thermite sparking and the impact of rusted steel on aluminum coated steel. For dry rust, the exothermic reaction occurred at 900 °C while the wet rust ignited an exothermic reaction at 1000 °C. This delayed ignition was attributed to the consumption of energy by the water while in wet rust for phase transformation. The experimental study used a compressed-gas-powered impact-testing apparatus that showed that the dry rusted steel ignited sparking upon colliding with un-coated steel. It was also found that the presence of an aluminum coat generated a higher susceptibility to sparking than colliding with un-coated steel.