Detonation performance of the CL-20-based explosive LX-19

Abstract

The generation of constitutive detonation performance model components for high explosives (HEs) invariably involves reference to experiment, as reliable first-principles determinations of these models are beyond our current capability. Whatever its form or complexity, the detonation performance model must be able to accurately capture the detonation wave timing and the energy release that it triggers upon arrival. Specifically, the HE products equation-of-state (EOS), which largely determines the detonating HE’s ability to do useful work on its surroundings, is typically inferred from cylinder expansion tests where metal-confined HE cylinders are detonated and the ensuing outer confiner wall-expansion trajectory is recorded. Expensive, iterative comparisons to multimaterial hydrodynamic (or “hydrocode”) simulations of these experiments are then used to constrain the parameters of the chosen EOS form. Here, we report on new detonation performance experiments produced for the highly-ideal, plastic-bonded explosive and CL-20-based LX-19 which are used to produce a new sub-scale detonation performance model for the explosive. This includes new products EOS and a new Detonation Shock Dynamics front propagation law. We also confirm the capability of two new, non-hydrocode-based products EOS generation techniques to accelerate the HE model parameterization process. This latter development is particularly significant for detonation performance modeling of new HE formulations.