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Electrical Performance of Explosive‐Driven Switches for slapper detonator applications
Author(s) -
Podlesak Michael
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1521-4087
pISSN - 0721-3115
DOI - 10.1002/prep.19940190509
Subject(s) - kapton , detonator , materials science , explosive material , shock (circulatory) , voltage , thermal conduction , composite material , electrical resistance and conductance , electric shock , electrical impedance , optoelectronics , electrical engineering , chemistry , medicine , polyimide , organic chemistry , layer (electronics) , engineering
Time dependent resistance measurements were performed on fast, high current electrical switches proposed for use in slapper detonators. The switches, consisting of a copper‐polymer‐copper laminate, are designed to conduct electrically after being impacted by an explosive‐driven copper flyer plate. The polymer film used in our experiments was Kapton (polypyromellitimide) and was expected to exhibit shock induced conduction at pressures of 9 GPa and above. While it is believed that shock pressures in the vicinity of 9 GPa were achieved in the switches, no significant shock conduction effect was observed. This was corroborated by observing identical electrical behaviour for switches based on Teflon (polytetrafluoroethylene) film, which is known to possess good insulating properties even under strong shocks. However, in spite of the lack of evidence of significant shock induced conduction in the Kapton based switch, its operation is satisfactory. The average switch closure resistance at practical voltage and current levels was found to be of the order of 0.15Ω, attained within a closure time of 10 ns to 20 ns. Also, the electrical characteristic of the switch performance was largely independent of the supply voltage, when a low impedance voltage source was used, though the closure resistance values displayed a large scatter with standard deviation of the order of 0.1Ω.