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The Poly‐Rho Test as a Screening Tool for Explosive Performance
Author(s) -
Harry Herbert H.,
Uher Kenneth J.,
Hagelberg Stephanie I.,
Hartline Ernest L.
Publication year - 2005
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.200500036
Subject(s) - explosive material , test (biology) , materials science , computer science , geology , history , archaeology , paleontology
A screening test was developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory [1] that can be used to decide if a newly synthesized/formulated explosive might warrant further development. The test consists of firing a rate‐stick composed of 12.7 mm diameter by 12.7 mm high pellets of different densities ordered from lowest to highest, initiated by a detonator at the low‐density end of the stick. This poly‐rho test yields detonation velocities over a range of densities using only the small amount of the explosive typically generated by the synthetic organic chemist at an early stage of the scale‐up process. The amount of material required is far less than that required for the typical rate‐stick series. This paper presents results on poly‐rho tests that were conducted on three explosives commonly used at Los Alamos National Laboratory, namely PBX 9501, PBX 9502 and PETN. The results are compared with empirical detonation‐theory predictions and existing explosive experimental data, with good agreement in all cases.