Removing Full-scale Testing Barriers: Energetic Material Detonation Characterization at the Laboratory Scale

Abstract

Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704-0188), 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to any penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER A novel energetic-material detonation and air-blast characterization technique is proposed through the use of a laboratory-scale-based modified "aquarium test." A streak camera is used to record the radial shock wave expansion rate at the energetic material-air interface of spherical laboratory-scale (i.e., gram-range) charges detonated in air. A linear regression fit is applied to the measured streak record data. Using this in conjunction with the conservation laws, material Hugoniots, and two empirically established relationships, a procedure is developed to determine fundamental detonation properties (pressure, velocity, particle velocity, and density) and air shock wave properties (pressure, velocity, and particle velocity) at the energetic material-air interface. The experimentally determined properties are in good agreement with published values. The theory's applicability is extended using historical aquarium test data due to the limited number of experiments able to be performed. Predicted detonation wave and air shock wave properties are in good agreement for a multitude of energetics across various atmospheric conditions. PLEASE DO NOT RETURN YOUR FORM TO THE ABOVE ADDRESS. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER SPONSOR/MONITOR'S ACRONYM(S) 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) SPONSOR/MONITOR'S REPORT NUMBER(S)

Detonator-Effects Investigation of AXEUMM Experiments

“…The initial image following shock wave breakout was anticipated to be aspherical, as the detonator is unable to act as a perfect point source initiator and therefore results in a slight variation of the detonation wave's breakout along the charge surface as shown. However, this does not affect previous measurements, as they were acquired from the surface normal to the detonator axis, therefore ensuring a normally propagating shock wave (8). …”

“…Consequently, the advent of the explosive scaling laws (2-4) in the early 1900s permitted the scaling of these widely ranging experimental results for comparative purposes. Nearly a century later, experimental laboratory-scale-based research has been shown to extend the scaling laws' validity down through the milligram range for select materials (5)(6)(7)(8). In this research, optical flow visualization techniques (e.g., schlieren, shadowgraph, etc.)…”