TIME-SEQUENCED X-RAY OBSERVATION OF A THERMAL EXPLOSION

Journal Article · Mon Dec 28 00:00:00 EST 2009 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3295164· OSTI ID:21366851

Tringe, J W; Molitoris, J D; Kercher, J R; Springer, H K; Glascoe, E A; Greenwood, D W; Garza, R G; Wong, B M; Batteux, J D; Maienschein, J L ^[1]; Smilowitz, L; Henson, B F ^[2]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, 94551 (United States)
2. Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, 87545 (United States)

The evolution of a thermally-initiated explosion is studied using a multiple-image x-ray system. HMX-based PBX 9501 is used in this work, enabling direct comparison to recently-published data obtained with proton radiography [1]. Multiple x-ray images of the explosion are obtained with image spacing of ten microseconds or more. The explosion is simultaneously characterized with a high-speed camera using an interframe spacing of 11 mus. X-ray and camera images were both initiated passively by signals from an embedded thermocouple array, as opposed to being actively triggered by a laser pulse or other external source. X-ray images show an accelerating reacting front within the explosive, and also show unreacted explosive at the time the containment vessel bursts. High-speed camera images show debris ejected from the vessel expanding at 800-2100 m/s in the first tens of mus after the container wall failure. The effective center of the initiation volume is about 6 mm from the geometric center of the explosive.

• OSTI ID: 21366851
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1195, Issue 1; Conference: American Physical Society Topical Group on shock compression of condensed matter, Nashville, TN (United States), 28 Jun - 3 Jul 2009; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3295164; (c) 2009 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CAMERAS
CONTAINERS
CONTAINMENT
EVOLUTION
EXPLOSIONS
EXPLOSIVES
FAILURES
IMAGES
LASERS
PROTON RADIOGRAPHY
PULSES
SHOCK WAVES
SIGNALS
THERMOCOUPLES
VELOCITY
X RADIATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING
RADIATIONS
TESTING