Mechanism of and Particle Size Effects on Shock Sensitivity of Heterogeneous Pressed Explosives: Preliminary Assessment of Binderless RDX in Fuze Trains

Abstract

Shock initiation of pressed heterogeneous explosives has been reviewed. The key processes of ignition and buildup and their relative importance under sustained and short duration shocks are described. Particle size effects on shock sensitivity are shown to depend on density and shock duration. M50% values from gap tests often increase as particle size decreases. Below a critical particle size M50% then decreases, as predicted from theoretical modelling. This trend was observed here for RDX. Assessment of fine RDX for fuze trains indicated its potential suitability.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1987
Accession Number
ADA187597

Entities

People

  • Robert J. Spear
  • Victor Nanut

Organizations

  • Defence Science and Technology Group

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter IED
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Burning Rate
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Combustion
  • Department Of Defense
  • Electron Microscopes
  • Energetic Materials
  • Explosives
  • Ignition
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Molecular Dynamics
  • Munitions
  • Particle Size
  • Particles

Readers

  • Combustion Dynamics and Shock Wave Physics.
  • Munitions and Ordnance Engineering
  • Regression Analysis.