PBX 9502 Gas-Generation Throughout Long-Duration Thermal Exposure and Cookoff
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
When energetic materials are subjected to thermal insult, an event may follow in which the explosive exothermically reacts in an undesirable fashion. This event is known as cookoff, or self-ignition, and understanding how different explosives behave during this event is critical for explosives safety. To further our understanding of how PBX 9502 (95% TATB, 5% Kel-F 800) behaves at cookoff, small scale laboratory experiments were conducted to study the pressure rise created by unconfined samples as they were heated to self-ignition. Collected data included high speed video of deflagration, sample temperature, a time-lapse of thermal damage and expansion, quasi-static pressure during heating, and the dynamic pressure during cookoff. These data provide evidence that this composition remains impermeable through thermal evolution, until internal void pressure overcomes the mechanical strength of the material and drives macro-scale cracking. Previous work reported that PBX 9502 exhibits a pressure-dependent cookoff behavior [1], the cause of which is not entirely understood. The results reported here contribute to an understanding of the underlying behavior which gives rise to the observed pressure dependence.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- 89233218CNA000001
- OSTI ID:
- 1495117
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-19-21164
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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