Experimental Study of the Explosion of Aluminized Explosives in Air

Abstract

Piezoelectric gauges were used to measure the shock wave overpressure of aluminized explosives and of a TNT charge. An infrared thermal-imaging spectrometer was used to collect the infrared signatures produced by the explosion fireball when the examined explosives were detonated. The measurement of the infrared signatures was used to estimate the surface temperatures and the dimensions of the fireball. Two aluminized explosive compositions (RDX/Al/AP and RDX/Al/B/AP) have been analyzed. 500 g charges of the aluminized explosives were prepared and studied, and their TNT equivalences were calculated according to the experimental data and the explosion law. The highest surface temperatures of the fireballs of these aluminized explosives were up to 1600 °C, which was higher than that of the TNT charge. In the region of the highest surface temperature above 700 °C, the duration for the composition RDX/Al/AP was about 232 ms (2.73 times more than TNT), whilst RDX/Al/B/AP was about 360 ms. The fireballs obtained from the explosion of these aluminized explosives had larger dimensions than that of TNT, especially when the surface temperature was above 1000 °C. The test results indicate that the addition of boron powders to aluminized explosives is a good way to enhance their blast effect, to improve the temperature of the explosion field and to prolong the duration of the higher temperature.