On the Permeability of Thermally Damaged PBX 9501

Abstract

AbstractTheoretical analysis, modeling, and simulation are used to provide insight into the development of permeability during thermal damage of the high explosive PBX 9501. In a recently published article, Terrones et al. [1] conclude that samples of PBX 9501 thermally damaged at 186 °C are not permeable to gas flow in a manner consistent with Darcy's Law. We disagree with their conclusion. We show that they have misreported data from the literature, and that their argument depends on a fluid flow model that is physically incorrect and is applied with inappropriate physical parameters.