Shock Tube Effect Inside a Pyrotechnic Igniter

Abstract

AbstractAn output closure is a critical component of a pyrotechnic igniter. It controls the heat transfer duration of initiation train, stress loading on the propellant grain, and the pressure drop during closure deployment. Normally the pressure profiles calculated by a quasi‐static interior ballistics code are adequate for igniter design evaluation. But following a case of premature closure deployment in which the propellant failed to ignite, the authors discovered that the design geometry mimicked that of a shock tube. The shock tube effect occurred whenever the high‐temperature gases of the initiator were rapidly discharged into a long conduit. The shock resultant from the initiator opened the closure prior to ignition of the ignition aid. In this paper, we report results from both quasi‐static computations for static pressure and time‐dependent simulations for dynamic pressure. Designers need to consider both static and dynamic pressure when devices have a sudden high‐pressure gas released into a conduit.