Structure and Characteristics of Heterogeneous Detonation.

Abstract

The emphasis of this research program centered around the structure of heterogeneous detonation waves, inasmuch as this had been found to be very important to the detonation characteristics of heterogeneous mixtures. On the experimental side, a vertical detonation tube was used wherein liquid fuel drops, all of one size, were generated at the top of the tube and allowed to fall vertically into the desired gaseous mixture. A strong blast wave was transmitted into the mixture through use of an auxiliary shock tube. The propagation of the resultant wave was monitored by pressure switches, pressure transducers, and photography. The low vapor pressure liquid fuel, decane (400 micrometer drop size) was used for most of the experiments. Attention was given to wave structure, wave velocity, and initiation energy. Three atmospheres (100% O2; 40% O2/60% N2; and air) and a number of equivalence ratios were investigated. Holographic pictures and streak photography were employed to study the drop shattering process and the structure of the front. Other experiments investigated the addition of the sensitizer, normal propyl nitrate (NPN), to the decane. The important aspect of vapor pressure was studied by heating the entire tube to various elevated temperatures and then noting the effect on detonability.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1983
Accession Number
ADA134492

Entities

People

  • C. W. Kauffman
  • J. A. Nicholls
  • M. Sichel

Organizations

  • University of Michigan

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Additives (Chemicals)
  • Blast
  • Blast Waves
  • Combustion
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Detonation Waves
  • Detonations
  • Gas Dynamics
  • Photography
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Pressure Switches
  • Pressure Transducers
  • Scientists
  • Shock Tubes
  • Two Phase Flow
  • Vapor Pressure
  • Wave Propagation

Readers

  • Combustion Dynamics and Shock Wave Physics.
  • Combustion science or combustion engineering.