Mechanism of reaction-front propagation in the Cr$_2$O$_3$ + 2Al mixture

Results of a combustion study of a powder mixture of Cr$_2$O$_3$ and Al burnt in an argon flow are reported. The combustion process is affected by a pressure difference along the filler by evacuating one end of the reaction cell. Effects of the initial density, gasifiable additive (borax or sodium carbonate), and pressure difference on specific features of the combustion process are examined. The data obtained were interpreted within the convective-conductive combustion theory of heterogeneous condensed systems.