The processing, properties and use of the pyrotechnic mixture-titanium subhydride/potassium perchlorate

Development of this pyrotechnic occurred because of the need for a static insensitive material to meet personnel safety requirements and related system safety issues in nuclear weapon energetic material component designs. Ti subhydride materials are made by the thermal dehydrding of commercial Ti hydride powder to the desired equivalent hydrogen composition in the Ti lattice. These Ti subhydrides, when blended with K perchlorate, meet the static insensitivity requirement of not being initiated from an equivalent human body electrostatic discharge. Individual material and blend qualification requirements provide a reproducible material from lot to lot. These pyrotechnic formulations meet the high reliability requirements (0.9995) for initiation and performance parameters and have the necessary stability and compatibility to meet long lived requirements of more than 25 years. Various experiences and problems are also discussed that have led to a mature technology for Ti subhydride/K perchlorate during its use in energetic material component designs

Corrosion problems in Ti/KC1O/sub 4/ loaded devices when subjected to humid environments

A piston motor/igniter loaded with a Ti/KClO/sub 4/ pyrotechnic and sealed with a silicone adhesive exhibited serious corrosion problems during aging. Five 24-hour thermal cycles between room temperature and 71/sup 0/C at 90% relative humidity resulted in extensive surface corrosion of the Kovar pins and severe stress corrosion cracking of the Kovar pins in the vicinity of the bridgewire weld. No corrosion or cracking of the Nichrome bridgewire was observed. Similar results were observed after 60 days at 50% and 90% relative humidity at room temperature. Tests at ambient relative humidity and room temperature caused limited surface corrosion and no observable cracking. It was determined that these problems resulted from the combined presence of chlorine containing contaminants and atmospheric moisture. Chlorine was detected in both the surface corrosion product and the corrosion product in the subsurface cracks. The absence of reaction and/or morphological alteration of the Ti/KClO/sub 4/ at the pyrotechnic interface with the Kovar indicated the pyrotechnic was not involved in the corrosion reaction, and, hence, the chlorine was present in the surface contamination on the Kovar pins. The aging tests indicate that external moisture was involved in the corrosion reaction. Calculation and experimentation have shown the silicone adhesive used to seal these devices to be permeable to water vapor, and the moisture conditions inside the devices equilibrated with external conditions within a few hours. Corrosion and cracking could be solved by eliminating the source of moisture by hermetically sealing the devices. Tests of hermetically sealed units have confirmed this conclusion

Family firms going international: Integrating corporate identity‐building processes and socioemotional wealth dimensions

This study aims to improve understanding of how identity-building processes shape corporate identity and how dimensions of socioemotional wealth affect internationalization pathways in a family firm. The paper uses an in-depth case study of an Italian family firm internationally recognized as excellent in its industry. We developed an integrative theoretical model, combining socioemotional wealth frameworks and elements of the corporate identity mix. This enabled us to incorporate more theoretical knowledge from the field of international management into the domain of family business research. The latent construct of socioemotional wealth provides an in-depth understanding of the multidimensional nature of corporate identity-building processes and shows the intertwined nature of corporate identity and the "affective endowment" in the development of internationalization strategies