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Title: Acceleration of thin flyers by exploding metal foils: application to initiation studies. [PETN, TATB, PBX-7404, NM]

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7273090

A simple, inexpensive system for studying initiation properties of explosives has been developed. The system uses electrically exploded metal foils to accelerate plastic flyer plates to velocities in the range 0.5--14 km/s. These flyer plates provide a well-defined stimulus upon impact with a high-explosive specimen. Peak pressures in the range 1 to 160 GPa and pulse widths in the range 0.005 to 0.5 ..mu..s can be produced. The wide range of impact pressures and pulse widths permits investigations of explosives over a broad range of shock sensitivities. To demonstrate the capabilities of the system, results of initiation experiments on PETN (1.25 to 1.77 Mg/m/sup 3/), TATB (1.80 Mg/m/sup 3/), PBX-9404 (1.84 Mg/m/sup 3/), and nitromethane, are reported.

Research Organization:
California Univ., Livermore (USA). Lawrence Livermore Lab.
DOE Contract Number:
W-7405-ENG-48
OSTI ID:
7273090
Report Number(s):
UCRL-77610; CONF-760805-10
Resource Relation:
Conference: 6. symposium on detonation, San Diego, CA, USA, 24 Aug 1976
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English