The Hugoniot and shock sensitivity of a plastic-bonded TATB explosive PBX 9502

Abstract

The plane shock response of PBX 9502 was measured from 0.5 to 25 GPa. The explosive is 95-wL % triamino-trinitrobenzene powder coated with Kel-F 800 plastic; porosity was 2.6%. Shock initiation sensitivity, the Hugoniot, and dynamic yield behavior were studied. Experiments done were explosively driven wedge tests and particle velocity history measurements using electromagnetic gauges at a light-gas gun. A new analysis of the wedge test was implemented. Based on wedge test results, an approximation for the particle velocity at the shock front is constructed, which is used in functional composition with the Hugoniot to calculate the shock path of each experiment. Optimization on the parameters of the approximation and the Hugoniot simultaneously ensures agreement of the Hugoniot with the overall kinematics of the shock growth as wen as the particle velocity/shock velocity data. The individual shock paths are used to examine the single-curve buildup assumption; the assumption is not valid for PBX 9502. A ramping elastic precursor of 0.073 GPa strength was observed. The yield and weak shock behavior are interpreted in terms of porosity, crystaUine anisotropy, and residual strain in the pressed, plastic-bonded explosive.

The insensitive high explosive triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB): Development and characterization, 1888 to 1994

“…Input pressures ranged from 0.5 to 25 GPa. The Hugoniot fits were given as During the late 1980s, Green, Tarver, Lee, Mitchell, and Erskine of LLNL conducted Dick, Forest, Ramsay, and Seitz in 1988 at LANL studied shock-initiation sensitivity, Us = 1.857 + 3.15Up, Up 10.50 km/s,…”

Impact Shock Sensitivity of a TATB Based Explosive Relevant to Specific Heat Properties

“…PBX-9502 has been rather extensively tested via one-dimensional shock loading at various temperatures [7,8,9], and its thermal characteristics have also been experimentally explored [10,11,12]. Much of this important information has been collected, reported, or at least mentioned, in Reference [6].…”

“…The procedure to determine the threshold U PDT values is illustrated in Figures 2 through 5, where U P versus X D is plotted on a linear scale from the tabulated/plotted data in References [6], [7], and [8]. The U S versus U p variation for PBX-9502 at RT conditions indicates some type of impact-induced reaction is occurring around U p = 1.0 ± 0.2 km/sec where a slope (dU S /dU p ) change is evident [7,20].…”

“…References [7] and [8] both document shock sensitivity (Hugoniot and run distance to detonation) experimental data for PBX-9502 at ambient room temperature (RT = T EXP ≈ 12 -27 °C). In addition, Reference [8] also contains shock sensitivity results for PBX-9502, which was collected at -55 °C, 75 °C, and 252 °C.…”

Initiation Pressure Thresholds from Three Sources

“…In Table 5, we pull together the three sources of pressure data: flyer thresholds [4,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12], calculated run-time values [11,21,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] and the smallest gap test pressures available [15,18]. There are only a few Eglin shots, so we rely for a gap tests almost completely on the NSWC LSGT.…”