Contact and Surface Effects in the Electric Field Initiation of Explosives

Abstract

A great deal of work has been done to characterize field initiation effects in explosives and to understand them on the basis of the fundamental electronic, decomposition and conductivity properties of the materials. It has been difficult to relate experiments using single crystals (easiest to reproduce and understand) to experiments on pressed pellets and powders. Results of recent studies, reported here, indicate that contact and surface effects are central to understanding the electric field initiation of explosives and to relating the results of experiments performed under different conditions and on different sample forms. The results are directly relevant to a number of novel fuzing device applications (e.g., fuzes that require more than one stimulus to fire), and to safety against electrical and electrostatic hazards in the storage and handling of munitions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1976
Accession Number
ADA026004

Entities

People

  • David S. Downs
  • Donald A. Wiegand
  • Jagadish Sharma
  • Thaddeus Gora
  • Wayne L. Garrett

Organizations

  • Picatinny Arsenal

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Counter IED

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Dielectric Permittivity
  • Electric Discharges
  • Electric Fields
  • Electron Emission
  • Emission
  • Energy Bands
  • Explosives
  • Extrinsic Semiconductors
  • Ionization
  • Lead Azides
  • Materials
  • Metal Contacts
  • N Type Semiconductors
  • Semiconductors
  • Single Crystals
  • Work Functions
  • X Rays

Readers

  • Materials Science and Engineering.
  • Rocket Propulsion.
  • Theoretical Analysis.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics