Research into the Detonation of Non Ideal Versus Ideal Explosives

Abstract

The objectives are to determine, understand, and control the mechanisms and the rates of energy release in metallized explosive compositions during the detonation state and in the post-detonation regime. The goals of the initiative are to: (i) account for the total energy and the rates of energy release in the underwater detonation of a composite metallized explosive, (ii) establish and demonstrate concepts which can be employed to dial the near field pressure/time profile in order to maximize the desired energy coupling to the target, and (iii) develop a laboratory scale underwater detonation experiment, which will be able to accurately characterize the performance of novel metallized composite explosives. Research will be conducted to: (i) characterize the detonation both inside the explosive medium and in the water column at near-field, (ii) understand the parameters in the microstructural transport processes which govern the reactions of metal fuels with oxidizer molecules at temperature and pressure extremes, and the rates with which these processes take place, and (iii) identify the mechanisms by which energy is added, lost, or modified as the detonation wave and subsequent gas expansion propagate from the explosive into the water.