Shock initiation of energetic materials at different initial temperatures (review)

Shock initiation is one of the most important properties of energetic materials, which must transition to detonation exactly as intended when intentionally shocked and not detonate when accidentally shocked. The development of Manganin pressure gauges that are placed inside the explosive charge and record the buildup of pressure upon shock impact has greatly increased the knowledge of these reactive flows. This experimental data, together with similar data from electromagnetic particle velocity gauges, has allowed us to formulate the Ignition and Growth model of shock initiation and detonation in hydrodynamic computer codes for predictions of shock initiation scenarios that cannot be tested experimentally. An important problem in shock initiation of solid explosives is the change in sensitivity that occurs upon heating (or cooling). Experimental Manganin pressure gauge records and the corresponding Ignition and Growth model calculations are presented for two solid explosives, LX-17 [92.5% triaminotrinitrobenzene (TATB) with 7.5% Kel-F binder] and LX-04 [85% octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazine (HMX) with 15% Viton binder] at several initial temperatures.