Testing of munitions for environmental impact is required in many countries as part of the life cycle assessment process. Although the post‐detonation mass and composition of metallic species are known, energetics residues from the detonation process are difficult to estimate. Past methods using detonation chamber testing and modeling have been shown to be problematic, especially with newer generation energetic materials. This paper describes a method of field‐testing munitions using command detonation systems for static rounds that simulate live‐fire high order detonations. Research demonstrates that results from command detonated high explosive rounds are similar to residues from rounds fired onto an ice‐covered impact area. The ability to substitute command detonations for live fire will enable the assessment of the environmental impact new munitions will have on training ranges prior to full development and certification. Data may also be used to assess detonation efficiencies for explosive formulations as well as for energetic components in those formulations.
Developmental testing of high explosives for military applications involves small-scale formulation, safety testing, and finally detonation performance tests to verify theoretical calculations. For newly developed formulations, the process begins with small-scale mixes, thermal testing, and impact and friction sensitivity. Only then do subsequent larger scale formulations proceed to detonation testing, which will be covered in this paper. Recent advances in characterization techniques have led to unparalleled precision in the characterization of early-time evolution of detonations. The new technique of Photonic Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) for the measurement of detonation pressure will be shared and compared with traditional fiber-optic detonation velocity and plate-dent calculation of detonation pressure. In particular, the role of aluminum in explosive formulations will be discussed. Recent developments led to the development of explosive formulations that result in reaction of aluminum very early in the detonation product expansion. This enhanced reaction leads to changes in the detonation velocity and pressure due to reaction of the aluminum with oxygen in the expanding gas products.
Abstract. Reactive flow models are desired for new explosive formulations early in the development stage. Traditionally, these models are parameterized by carefully-controlled 1-D shock experiments, including gas-gun testing with embedded gauges and wedge testing with explosive plane wave lenses (PWL). These experiments are easy to interpret due to their 1-D nature, but are expensive to perform and cannot be performed at all explosive test facilities. This work investigates alternative methods to probe shock-initiation behavior of new explosives using widely-available pentolite gap test donors and simple time-of-arrival type diagnostics. These experiments can be performed at a low cost at most explosives testing facilities. This allows experimental data to parameterize reactive flow models to be collected much earlier in the development of an explosive formulation. However, the fundamentally 2-D nature of these tests may increase the modeling burden in parameterizing these models and reduce general applicability. Several variations of the so-called modified gap test were investigated and evaluated for suitability as an alternative to established 1-D gas gun and PWL techniques. At least partial agreement with 1-D test methods was observed for the explosives tested, and future work is planned to scope the applicability and limitations of these experimental techniques.
When creating ignition and growth models for new explosive formulations, it is crucial to have a complete understanding of transverse detonation growth within the material to accurately predict corner‐turning performance in various geometries. This understanding is particularly important when designing a direct replacement for an existing explosive, typically with requirements to maintain function in terms of both initiation and end effects/lethality. While there have been many corner‐turning tests developed and successfully utilized over the last 60 years, many of the experimental designs favor traditional explosives that tend to exhibit ideal growth behavior. Many of the traditional corner‐turning tests exhibit prohibitive complications when faced with geometric scale‐up to accommodate large critical diameters that often accompany insensitive behavior. In an effort to address this shortcoming, the authors propose a corner‐turning test that can easily scale to accommodate a wide range of critical diameters and introduces modern diagnostics to provide additional data known to be useful for model development. As a case study for IMX‐104, the work herein uses a combination of streaked fiber optics and photonic Doppler velocimetry probes (PDV) to investigate corner turning within a large double cylinder geometry. Additionally, diameter effects on detonation velocity measurements, front wave curvature, and extent of reaction at various PDV probe locations are investigated using the same diagnostics. These experimental results have since been used to improve an IMX‐104 ignition and growth model that has been used to support the development of numerous warhead designs – notably the 155 mm family of artillery munitions.
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