Experimental observations of exploding bridgewire detonator function

Smilowitz, Laura Beth; Henson, Bryan Fayne; Remelius, Dennis Keith; Bowlan, Pamela Renee; Suvorova, Natalya Alexandra; Allison, J.; Cardon, D.; Freeman, M.; Mariam, F.; Meijer, W.; Morris, C.; Neukirch, L.; Prestridge, K.; Sandstrom, M.; Saunders, A.; Schurman, T.; Tainter, A.; Tang, Z.; Trouw, F.; Tupa, D.; Tybo, J.; Uliano, R.

doi:10.1063/5.0021288

Title: Experimental observations of exploding bridgewire detonator function

Journal Article · Mon Dec 07 00:00:00 EST 2020 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0021288· OSTI ID:1841922

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Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA

Exploding bridgewire detonators are an industry standard technology used for over 75 years and valued for their precise timing and safety characteristics. Despite widespread use, their functional mechanism remains controversial with both shock and non-shock mechanisms attributed. In this work, we reexamine the bridgewire detonator function with a suite of modern diagnostics and compare these observations with the existing literature. Traditional detonator observations consisted of voltage applied to the bridgewire and time dependent current, integral response measurements such as case motion, and more recently Schlieren imaging of the detonator surface. In this work, we add visible light emission, x-ray transmission, proton radiography, and temperature measurements during detonator function in addition to voltage, current, and function times. The addition of in situ observations of light emission, temperature, and density gives us new insight into the mechanisms of explosive bridgewire detonator function. We see a distinct separation in time, location, symmetry, and velocity of bridgewire output and detonation onset. During the time between bridgewire burst and the initiation of detonation, we observe a temperature ramp in the input pellet. In this paper, we present the suite of measurements and comparisons with the literature on integral response measurements.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001

OSTI ID:: 1841922

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1777631

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-20-23258; TRN: US2301324

Journal Information:: Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 128, Issue 21; ISSN 0021-8979

Publisher:: American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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