INFLUENCE OF DENSITY AND INERT ADDITIVES ON THE WAVE SHAPE OF ' 'IDEAL' ' EXPLOSIVES
Abstract
Measurements of the ratio of the radius of wave curvature to the diameter (R/d) vs the density (rho) were made for the following ideal explosives for which the detonation velocity equals the hydrodynamic velocity (AD-14820): TNT, pentolite, and mixtures of TNT and pentolite with salt. At a 6-diam charge length, R/d varied almost linearly with rho. In TNT, a sharp discontinuity which occurred at rho = 1.35 was attributed to particle breakdown during the high- density pressings. In measurements of R/d vs charge length (L) for pure RDX and 40/60 RDX/NaCl, R/L remained constant at unity up to L/d=2.6. Between L/d=2.6 and 4.6, R reached a steady-state value and remained constant for higher L/d values in agreement with previous observations. R/d measurements were made for mixtures of TNT, RDX, and 50% pentolite with salt and for TNT and RDX with glass beads. For loosely packed TNT in 10-cm-diam charges, R/d decreased linearly with the amount of inert material from about 2.1 (pure TNT) to 1.3 (60% salt). In other cases, no definite variation in R/d with the amount of inert material could be established. However, with density corrections, a decrease in R/d with inert content was indicated for cast TNT and salt, TNT and glass beads, and RDX and salt. For mixtures of RDX and glass beads, and pentolite and salt, R/d appeared to reach a maximum and then decrease with an increasing inert content. The effects of segregation, deceleration of reaction rate, and attenuation of the wave toward the charge axis were believed to contribute to the doubt concerning the trends. (See also AD-16378)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1953
- Accession Number
- AD0016379
Entities
People
- G. S. Horsley
- M. A. Cook
Organizations
- University of Utah