Book Description

A copper cylinder cook-off experiment has been designed to cause steady deflagration in PBX-9501 explosive material. The design is documented and preliminary copper expansion results are presented for steady deflagration with a reaction speed of 1092 +/- 24 m/s. The expansion of reaction products from the detonation of an explosive is something that is well understood, and reasonably simulated using documented equations of state (EOS) for many explosives of interest. These EOS were historically measured using a 'standard' copper cylinder test design; this design comprised an annealed, oxygen-free high conductivity (OFHC) copper tube filled with explosive material and detonated from one end. Expansion of the copper wall was measured as a function of time using either a streak camera (for classic testing), or more recently using laser velocimetry techniques. Expansion data were then used to derive the EOS in various preferred forms - which are not discussed here for the sake of brevity. [Catanach, et. al., 1999] When an explosive deflagrates rather than detonating, simulation becomes more difficult. Reaction products are released on a slower time scale, and the reactions are much more affected by the geometry and local temperature within the reaction environment. It is assumed that the standard, documented EOS will no longer apply. In an effort to establish a first order approximation of deflagration product behavior, a cook-off test has been designed to cause steady deflagration in PBX-9501 explosive material, and to record the copper expansion profile as a function of time during this test. The purpose of the current paper is to document the initial test design and report some preliminary results. A proposal for modification of the design is also presented.