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Sideways Plate Push Test for Detonating Solid Explosives
Author(s) -
Tarver Craig M.,
Tao William C.,
Lee Chet G.
Publication year - 1996
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.19960210506
Subject(s) - explosive material , detonation , tatb , ignition system , mechanics , materials science , volume (thermodynamics) , cylinder , flow (mathematics) , optics , chemistry , physics , thermodynamics , geometry , mathematics , organic chemistry
A Sideways Plate Push Test has been developed to quantitatively measure the radial acceleration history of a thin metal plate driven by a detonating solid explosive using Fabry‐Perot laser interferometry. This test is designed to compliment the radial expansion cylinder test and axial plate push tests for detonating solid explosives by measuring very precisely the velocity of the metal plate as the explosive reaction products expand from the Von Neumann spike to a volume of approximately three times the initial volume. 1.27 cm thick slabs of LX‐14 (HMX‐based) and LX‐17 (TATB‐based) were detonated to radially accelerate 0.5 mm thick copper and tantalum plates. The measured radial velocity histories of the plates were compared to two‐dimensional hydrodynamic computer code calculations of the experiment. These comparisons showed that the Chapman‐Jouguet (CJ) description of detonation, which neglects the effect of the chemical reaction zone, generally slightly overestimates the radial velocity history of the plate and that the Ignition and Growth Zeldovich‐Von Neumann‐Döring (ZND) reactive flow model, which includes the momentum associated with the chemical reaction zone, yields good agreement with the Fabry‐Perot results. This Sideways Plate Push Test is very useful for determining explosive energy release for applications which depend on the high pressure, early time expansion of the detonation reaction products.