Effects of Specimen Size on Impact-Induced Reaction of High Explosives

Abstract

Low-velocity impact–induced reaction of two high explosives (PBX-1 and Composition B) with four different specimen size designs was experimentally studied. The reaction threshold velocity, delay time of visible reaction, pressure history, and reaction violence under impact were measured. The experimental results indicate that the reaction threshold velocity and the reaction violence have a significant specimen size effect. In the range of tested diameter, the threshold velocity increases with the specimen thickness for PBX-1, but decreases with the specimen thickness for Composition B. The results show that the reaction violence increases with the thickness but decreases with the diameter of high explosive charges. In addition, the mechanisms of the size effect are discussed.

Keywords:

• High explosives
• Low velocity impact
• Reaction threshold
• Specimen size effect

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under grants 11221202, 11202027, and 10832003 and the project of State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology (Beijing Institute of Technology) under contract number QNKT10-05.