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Nanothermite/RDX‐Based Miniature Device for Impact Ignition of High Explosives
Author(s) -
Glavier Ludovic,
Nicollet Andrea,
Jouot Fabien,
Martin Bernard,
Barberon Jeremy,
Renaud Laurent,
Rossi Carole
Publication year - 2017
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.201600154
Subject(s) - detonator , explosive material , materials science , ignition system , rocket (weapon) , pentaerythritol tetranitrate , combustion , detonation , composite material , chamber pressure , fabrication , nuclear engineering , metallurgy , aerospace engineering , chemistry , engineering , organic chemistry , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
A miniature rocket device integrating nanothermite and RDX is presented for shock initiation of high explosive application. This Ø 2.5 mm device consists in several assembled and screwed parts: a pyroMEMS chip with a Al/CuO multilayers on it to ignite within less than 100 μs a few milligrams of nanothermite, which reacts violently and ignites within 150 μs a RDX charge compacted in the closed combustion chamber. The gases generated by the RDX combustion rapidly expand, cut and propel a Ø 2.5 mm by 1 mm thick stainless steel flyer in the barrel. After the presentation of the rocket design, fabrication and assembly, by measuring the pressure‐time evolution in the chamber we demonstrate the advantage to ignite the RDX with Al/Bi 2 O 3 nanothermite to optimize the pressure impulse. We show that the stainless steel flyer of 40 mg is properly cut and propelled at velocities calculated from 665 to 1083 m s −1 as a function of the RDX extent of compaction and ignition charge. As expected, the average flyer velocity increases with the mass of loaded RDX and flyer's shear thickness. We finally prove that the impact of the flyer can initiate directly in detonation a RDX explosive, which is very promising to remove primary explosives in detonator.