Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Advertisement

Scientific Data
  • View all journals
  • Search
  • My Account Login
  • Content Explore content
  • About the journal
  • Publish with us
  • Sign up for alerts
  • RSS feed
  1. nature
  2. scientific data
  3. data descriptors
  4. article
An integrated database of combustion properties of metallic materials
Download PDF
Download PDF
  • Data Descriptor
  • Open access
  • Published: 16 February 2026

An integrated database of combustion properties of metallic materials

  • Penglin Wang1,
  • Huibin Ke  ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3794-23121,2,3 &
  • Yunfei Xue1,2,3 

Scientific Data , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Chemical physics
  • Energy
  • Metals and alloys

Abstract

Metal combustion, which is fundamentally a rapid exothermic redox reaction with oxygen, governs critical applications from aerospace propulsion to structural fire safety. Understanding key combustion metrics including combustion enthalpy, ignition temperature, ignition delay time, combustion rate, and threshold pressure is essential for designing fire-resistant alloys or high-energy propellants. This work establishes a comprehensive database of 725 curated data points extracted from 45 publications, mainly encompassing pure metals, Al-based, Ti-based, Mg-based, Fe-based alloys and multi-component alloys. Each data entry integrates combustion metrics with alloy composition and critical experimental metadata, such as sample geometry, oxygen partial pressure and test method. By integrating scattered literature data into a unified framework with standardized parameters, this work provides a foundation for data-driven discovery of next-generation materials with tailored combustion performance.

Data availability

The dataset supporting this study is publicly available on Figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29966602 and on github (https://github.com/wpl2000/CombustionData).

Code availability

No custom code was developed for the generation or processing of this dataset.

References

  1. Feng, Y., Xia, Z., Huang, L. & Ma, L. Ignition and combustion of a single aluminum particle in hot gas flow. Combustion and Flame 196, 35–44, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2018.05.010 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Feng, Y., Xia, Z., Huang, L. & Ma, L. Effect of ambient temperature on the ignition and combustion process of single aluminium particles. Energy 162, 618–629 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Feng, Y., Ma, L., Xia, Z., Huang, L. & Yang, D. Ignition and combustion characteristics of single gas-atomized Al–Mg alloy particles in oxidizing gas flow. Energy 196, 117036 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  4. Wang, W., Zou, H. & Cai, S. The Oxidation and Combustion Properties of Gas Atomized Aluminum-Boron-Europium Alloy Powders. Propellants Explosives Pyrotechnics 44, 725–732, https://doi.org/10.1002/prep.201800223 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Busk, R. Magnesium and magnesium alloys. ASM INTERNATIONAL. (ISBN 0-87170-657-1, 1950).

  6. Zhang, C. et al. Combustion Behavior and Microstructure of TC17 Titanium Alloy under Oxygen-Enriched Atmosphere. Metals 13, 1020 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Boyer, R. R. An overview on the use of titanium in the aerospace industry. Materials Science and Engineering: A 213, 103–114, https://doi.org/10.1016/0921-5093(96)10233-1 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Czerwinski, F. The oxidation behaviour of an AZ91D magnesium alloy at high temperatures. Acta Materialia 50, 2639–2654, https://doi.org/10.1016/s1359-6454(02)00094-0 (2002).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Czerwinski, F. Oxidation Characteristics of Magnesium Alloys. JOM 64, 1477–1483 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Czerwinski, F. Controlling the ignition and flammability of magnesium for aerospace applications. Corrosion Science 86, 1–16 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Czerwinski, F. Overcoming barriers of magnesium ignition and flammability. AM&P Technical Articles 172, 28–31 (2014).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Forsyth, E. T. et al. Oxygen Fire Hazards in Valve-Integrated Pressure Regulators for Medical Oxygen. J. ASTM Intl. 6, 285–302, https://doi.org/10.1520/JAI102296 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Czerwinski, F. Magnesium alloys: corrosion and surface treatments. (InTech, 2011).

  14. Britton, L. G. et al. The role of ASTM E27 methods in hazard assessment part II: Flammability and ignitability. Process Safety Progress 24, 12–28, https://doi.org/10.1002/prs.10058 (2005).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Han, D., Zhang, J., Huang, J. F., Lian, Y. & He, G. Y. A review on ignition mechanisms and characteristics of magnesium alloys. Journal of Magnesium and Alloys 8, 329–344, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jma.2019.11.014 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  16. Hou, Y., Cheng, X., Liu, S., Liu, C. & Zhang, H. Experimental study on upward flame spread of exterior wall thermal insulation materials. Energy Procedia 66, 161–164 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Aydin, D. S., Bayindir, Z., Hoseini, M. & Pekguleryuz, M. O. The high temperature oxidation and ignition behavior of Mg–Nd alloys part I: The oxidation of dilute alloys. Journal of Alloys and Compounds 569, 35–44, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2013.03.130 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Farooq, M. Z., Wu, Y., Lu, L. & Zheng, M. Combustion phases of magnesium alloys based on predicted heating rate using machine learning. Measurement 242, 116192, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2024.116192 (2025).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Laurendeau, N. & Glassman, I. Ignition temperatures of metals in oxygen atmospheres. Combustion Science and Technology 3, 77–82 (1971).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Lynn, D., Steinberg, T., Sparks, K. & Stoltzfus, J. M. Defining the flammability of cylindrical metal rods through characterization of the thermal effects of the ignition promoter. Journal of ASTM International 6, 1–12 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Shao, L. et al. Combustion Behavior and Mechanism of Ti14 Titanium Alloy. Materials 13, https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13030682 (2020).

  22. Chen, Y. et al. Underlying burning resistant mechanisms for titanium alloy. Materials & Design 156, 588–595 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  23. ASTM G124 Standard Test Method for Determining the Burning Behavior of Metallic Materials in Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres,. (ASTM, 2010).

  24. Pilling, N. The oxidation of metals at high temperature. J. Inst. Met. 29, 529–582 (1923).

    Google Scholar 

  25. Lee, J.-K. & Kim, S. K. Effect of CaO addition on the ignition resistance of Mg-Al alloys. Materials transactions 52, 1483–1488 (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Fassell, W. M. Jr, Gulbransen, L. B., Lewis, J. R. & Hamilton, J. H. Ignition temperatures of magnesium and magnesium alloys. JOM 3, 522–528 (1951).

    Google Scholar 

  27. Inoue, S., Yamasaki, M. & Kawamura, Y. Classification of high-temperature oxidation behavior of Mg-1 at% X binary alloys and application of proposed taxonomy to nonflammable multicomponent Mg alloys. Corrosion Science 174, 108858 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  28. Kim, Y. M., Yim, C. D., Kim, H. S. & You, B. S. Key factor influencing the ignition resistance of magnesium alloys at elevated temperatures. Scripta Materialia 65, 958–961 (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Lee, D. B. Effect of CaO and hot extrusion on the oxidation of AZ61 magnesium alloys. Oxidation of Metals 85, 65–74 (2016).

    Google Scholar 

  30. Liu, M., Shih, D. S., Parish, C. & Atrens, A. The ignition temperature of Mg alloys WE43, AZ31 and AZ91. Corrosion Science 54, 139–142 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Kasprzak, W., Sokolowski, J., Sahoo, M. & Dobrzański, L. Thermal and structural characteristics of the AM50 magnesium alloy. Journal of Achievements in Materials and Manufacturing Engineering 28, 131–138 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Nguyen, T. D. & Lee, D. B. Oxidation of AM60B Mg alloys containing dispersed SiC particles in air at temperatures between 400 and 550° C. Oxidation of metals 73, 183–192 (2010).

    Google Scholar 

  33. Liu, C., Lu, S., Fu, Y. & Zhang, H. Flammability and the oxidation kinetics of the magnesium alloys AZ31, WE43, and ZE10. Corrosion Science 100, 177–185 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  34. Lee, D. B. High temperature oxidation of AZ31+0.3wt.%Ca and AZ31+0.3wt.%CaO magnesium alloys. Corrosion Science 70, 243–251, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2013.01.036 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  35. Cheng, S. Effect of Ca and Y additions on oxidation behavior of AZ91 alloy at elevated temperatures. Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China 19, 299–304 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Bobryshev, B. & Aleksandrova, Y. P. Ignition of magnesium and its alloys. Metal Science and Heat Treatment 30, 219–222 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  37. Wu, Y. et al. Ignition-proof properties of a high-strength Mg-Gd-Ag-Zr alloy. Journal of Shanghai Jiaotong University (Science) 17, 643–647 (2012).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Zhou, N., Zhang, Z., Dong, J., Jin, L. & Ding, W. Selective oxidation behavior of an ignition-proof Mg-Y-Ca-Ce alloy. Journal of Rare Earths 31, 1003–1008, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1002-0721(13)60021-6 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  39. Aydin, D., Bayindir, Z. & Pekguleryuz, M. The effect of strontium (Sr) on the ignition temperature of magnesium (Mg): a look at the pre-ignition stage of Mg–6 wt% Sr. Journal of Materials Science 48, 8117–8132 (2013).

    Google Scholar 

  40. Tan, Q. et al. Generalisation of the oxide reinforcement model for the high oxidation resistance of some Mg alloys micro-alloyed with Be. Corrosion Science 147, 357–371, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2018.12.001 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  41. Fan, J. F. et al. Oxidation behavior of ignition-proof magnesium alloys with rare earth addition. Journal of Alloys and Compounds 509, 2137–2142, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2010.10.168 (2011).

    Google Scholar 

  42. Zhao, H., Zhang, Y. & Kang, Y. Effect of cerium on ignition point of AZ91D magnesium alloy. Research & Development (2008).

  43. Lin, P. et al. Interactive effect of cerium and aluminum on the ignition point and the oxidation resistance of magnesium alloy. Corrosion Science 50, 2669–2675 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  44. Villegas-Armenta, L., Drew, R. & Pekguleryuz, M. The ignition behavior of Mg–Ca binary alloys: the role of heating rate. Oxidation of Metals 93, 545–558 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  45. Grosse, A. & Conway, J. Combustion of metals in oxygen. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry 50, 663–672 (1958).

    Google Scholar 

  46. Wang, C. Microstructure and Combustion Characteristics of Aluminum-boron Alloy Powders. Chinese Journal of Materials Science and Engineering 39 (2021).

  47. Gibbins, J., Stover, A., Krywopusk, N., Woll, K. & Weihs, T. Properties of reactive Al: Ni compacts fabricated by radial forging of elemental and alloy powders. Combustion and Flame 162, 4408–4416 (2015).

    Google Scholar 

  48. Million, J. F. et al. Promoted Ignition-Combustion behavior of Cobalt and Nickel Alloys in Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres. J. ASTM Intl. 6, 10–20, https://doi.org/10.1520/JAI102230 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  49. Hayun, S., Lilova, K., Salhov, S. & Navrotsky, A. Enthalpies of formation of high entropy and multicomponent alloys using oxide melt solution calorimetry. Intermetallics 125, 106897, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intermet.2020.106897 (2020).

    Google Scholar 

  50. Liu, C., Lu, S., Cao, C. & Zhang, H. Experimental study on the effects of low air pressure on the magnesium alloy fires. Joint Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Conference, 3759 (2018).

  51. Cheng, C. et al. Effect of Ca additions on ignition temperature and multi-stage oxidation behavior of AZ80. Metals 8, 766 (2018).

    Google Scholar 

  52. Feng, Yunchao. Investigation on the Ignition and Combustion of Aluminum/Aluminum-Magnesium Alloy Particle in Hot Gas Master thesis, Graduate School of National University of Defense Technology (2019).

  53. Sparks, K., Stoltzfus, J., Steinberg, T. & Lynn, D. Determination of burn criterion for promoted combustion testing. Journal of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International 6, 1–11 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  54. Shao, L. et al. Combustion mechanism of alloying elements Cr in Ti-Cr-V alloys. Materials 12, 3206 (2019).

    Google Scholar 

  55. Shao, L. et al. The effect of Cu content and Ti2Cu precipitation on the combustion behaviour and mechanism of Ti-xCu alloys. Corrosion Science 190, 109641 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  56. Yu, J. et al. Combustion behavior and mechanism of Cu46Zr46Al8 bulk metallic glass in oxygen-enriched environments. Corrosion Science 204, 110415 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

  57. Ward, N. & Steinberg, T. The rate-limiting mechanism for the heterogeneous burning of cylindrical iron rods. Journal of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International 6, 1–13 (2009).

    Google Scholar 

  58. Yang, W. et al. Multiscale exploit the role of copper on the burn resistant behavior of Ti-Cu alloy. Journal of Alloys and Compounds 863, 158639 (2021).

    Google Scholar 

  59. Zhang, W., Xu, P., Liang, D. & Liu, J. Thermal oxidation, ignition, and combustion characterization of AP-, LP-, and KN- coated multi-metal composite powders in Air/H2O environments. Combustion and Flame 271, 113808, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2024.113808 (2025).

    Google Scholar 

  60. Yang, Z.-j. et al. Combustion and energy release characteristics of Al/CuWO4 metal oxide-based thermite. Ceramics International https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2025.06.054 (2025).

    Google Scholar 

  61. Wu, J. et al. Study on the influence of ignition voltage on the evaporation and combustion characteristics of metal nanofluid propellants. Advances in Space Research 77, 2372–2388, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2025.10.094 (2026).

    Google Scholar 

  62. Xu, P. et al. The role of bismuth trioxide in oxygen transport for enhancing combustion in a potential multi-metal aerial-aquatic fuel. Combustion and Flame 283, 114583, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2025.114583 (2026).

    Google Scholar 

  63. Wan, C. et al. A new ternary high-energy composite based on nano titanium powder with low sensitivity and stable combustion. Combustion and Flame 247, 112480, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.combustflame.2022.112480 (2023).

    Google Scholar 

  64. WebPlotDigitizer v. 5.2 (2024).

  65. Wang, P., Ke, H. & Xue, Y. An integrated database of combustion properties of metallic materials. Figshare https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.29966602 (2025).

  66. Wang, P., Ke, H. & Xue, Y. CombustionData,GitHub repository, https://github.com/wpl2000/CombustionData (2026).

  67. NIST Chemistry WebBook https://webbook.nist.gov.

  68. Schneider, S. J. Compilation of the Melting Points Of the Metal Oxides, https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/4077673 (1963).

  69. Forsyth, E. T. et al. Development of Burn Curves to Assist With Metals Selection in Oxygen. Flammability and Sensitivity of Materials in Oxygen-Enriched Atmospheres: 13th Volume STP1561-EB, https://doi.org/10.1520/stp20120018 (2012).

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the YEQISUN Joint Funds of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. U2241234).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China

    Penglin Wang, Huibin Ke & Yunfei Xue

  2. Yangtze Delta Region Academy of Beijing Institute of Technology, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China

    Huibin Ke & Yunfei Xue

  3. National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Materials Under Shock and Impact, Beijing, China

    Huibin Ke & Yunfei Xue

Authors
  1. Penglin Wang
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Huibin Ke
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yunfei Xue
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Penglin Wang: data curation, technical validation, visualization, writing – original draft preparation, writing – review and editing. Huibin Ke: concept, technical validation, writing – original draft preparation, writing – review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition. Yunfei Xue: supervision, writing – review and editing, funding acquisition.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Huibin Ke.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, P., Ke, H. & Xue, Y. An integrated database of combustion properties of metallic materials. Sci Data (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06862-8

Download citation

  • Received: 10 September 2025

  • Accepted: 06 February 2026

  • Published: 16 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-06862-8

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Download PDF

Advertisement

Explore content

  • Research articles
  • News & Comment
  • Collections
  • Follow us on X
  • Sign up for alerts
  • RSS feed

About the journal

  • Aims and scope
  • Editors & Editorial Board
  • Journal Metrics
  • Policies
  • Open Access Fees and Funding
  • Calls for Papers
  • Contact

Publish with us

  • Submission Guidelines
  • Language editing services
  • Open access funding
  • Submit manuscript

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

  • Explore articles by subject
  • Find a job
  • Guide to authors
  • Editorial policies

Scientific Data (Sci Data)

ISSN 2052-4463 (online)

nature.com sitemap

About Nature Portfolio

  • About us
  • Press releases
  • Press office
  • Contact us

Discover content

  • Journals A-Z
  • Articles by subject
  • protocols.io
  • Nature Index

Publishing policies

  • Nature portfolio policies
  • Open access

Author & Researcher services

  • Reprints & permissions
  • Research data
  • Language editing
  • Scientific editing
  • Nature Masterclasses
  • Research Solutions

Libraries & institutions

  • Librarian service & tools
  • Librarian portal
  • Open research
  • Recommend to library

Advertising & partnerships

  • Advertising
  • Partnerships & Services
  • Media kits
  • Branded content

Professional development

  • Nature Awards
  • Nature Careers
  • Nature Conferences

Regional websites

  • Nature Africa
  • Nature China
  • Nature India
  • Nature Japan
  • Nature Middle East
  • Privacy Policy
  • Use of cookies
  • Legal notice
  • Accessibility statement
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Your US state privacy rights
Springer Nature

© 2026 Springer Nature Limited

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing