Explosive formation of coherent particle jets

Abstract

A coherent jet of particles may be generated by accelerating a conical volume of particles by detonating a layer of explosive lining the outside of the cone. Experiments have been carried out to determine the dependence of the velocity history and coherency of the jet on the particle properties and the ratio of the masses of the particles and explosive. Steel particles form thin, coherent jets, whereas lighter glass particles lead to more diffuse jets. For steel particles, the cone angle had little effect on the coherency of the jet. The efficiency of the conversion of chemical to kinetic energy is explored by comparing the experimental jet velocity with the velocity predicted from a formulation of the Gurney method for a conical geometry. The effect of particle density and cone angle on the jet formation and development was also investigated using a multimaterial hydrocode. The simulations give insight into the extent of the deformation of the particle bed in the early stages of explosive particle dispersal.