skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Shock Initiation of PBX 9502: Material Lots 006 and 007 heated to 76 Celsius

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1671023· OSTI ID:1671023

Two shock initiation experiments have been carried out on PBX 9502 material Lots 006 and 007 heated to 76 Celsius. The purpose of these shots is to assess the reactant equation of state and shock-todetonation transition behavior relative to previously characterized lots of heated PBX 9502. PBX 9502 consists of 95% tri-amino-tri-nitro-benzene (TATB) and 5% Kel-F 800 (a copolymer derived from the monomers chlorotrifluorethylene (CTFE) and vinylidine fluoride) by weight. The experiments carried out at the TA-40 Chamber 9 gas gun facility were subject to shock pressures of 12.01 and 11.44 GPa for shots 2s-1129 and 2s-1130 respectively. These pressures resulted in run-to-detonation transitions of 7.91 and 8.73 mm from the impact plane. Unfortunately, due to a series of problems with the heating system the Lot 007 shot was subject to temperature cycling twice before the experiment was fired. The results do not indicate that this had any effect on the sensitivity of the explosive. In terms of shock sensitivity the Lot 006 and 007 PBX 9502 was found to be much less sensitive than the recycled lot 004 when heated to 76 Celsius. The data actually lies closer to the suit of ambient data on the Pop Plot.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC). Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
DOE Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001
OSTI ID:
1671023
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-20-27697
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English