A nonthermal mechanism of self-sustaining oscillations in solid-phase burning

The results of dynamic mass spectrometric studies of the composition of the gas-phase products formed in a wave of solid-phase burning spreading through Mo + B, Nb + B, and Ta + C SHS systems show that concentrations of boron and carbon oxides and suboxides vary periodically with frequencies corresponding to pulsations of burning waves in these systems known from previous investigations. A kinetic structure of the combustion wave is analyzed to demonstrate that self-sustaining oscillations attributed previously to thermal instability can be interpreted within a kinetic model of a multistage process involving gas-phase transport of reagents.