Hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) is commonly used as a binder system in rocket propellants and plastic bonded explosives (PBXs). As such, the investigation of this material under high-strain-rate and shock-loading conditions is of importance if the response of propellants and PBXs is to be understood. Therefore, the Hugoniot of two different HTPB compositions has been investigated, using manganin stress gauges. Both materials have a linear Us–up relationship, with the material having a higher plasticizer content having a lower value of c0. It has been suggested that additions of plasticizer increase the compliance of the material. In addition, in one composition, shock recovery experiments have been performed. Results indicate that no changes in glass transition temperature, decomposition temperature, or molecular weight occur in the range of shock stresses investigated.
Publicly available video recordings of the explosion in Beirut on August 4, 2020, were examined and from them it was possible, in conjunction with the well‐known Google Maps website, to obtain estimates for the locations of the observers’ cameras with respect to the blast, and estimates for the blast wave arrival time. A publicly‐available blast wave calculator was then used to estimate the size of the explosion in terms of the equivalent quantity of TNT that would produce the same blast wave arrival time at the observers’ distance. This work estimates the Beirut explosion to have been equivalent to 637 tons TNT, with a lower bound estimate of 407 tons and an upper bound estimate of 936 tons.
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