ABSTRACT
One thing all energetic materials have in common is the fact that they are exothermic and self-propagating in their conversion from starting materials to reaction products. Once an initial ignition stimulus is successfully applied, burning continues without the need for any additional external energy, and heat is produced. One of the best analogies to use with ignition and propagation is starting a warm wood fire in the fireplace on a cold winter day. Wet wood is difficult to light, small slivers of wood ignite more readily than a large-diameter log, and no additional crumpled newspaper is required once the wood fire is under way.
