Book Description

Shock initiation experiments were performed on the plastic bonded explosive (PBX) LX-04 (85% HMX, 15% Viton binder) using single and multiple low amplitude shocks to obtain pressure history data for use in Ignition and Growth reactive flow modeling parameterization. A 100 mm diameter propellant driven gas gun was utilized to initiate the LX-04 explosive charges containing manganin piezoresistive pressure gauge packages placed between explosive discs. In the single shock experiments, the run distances to detonation at three shock pressures showed agreement with previously published data above 3 GPa. Even longer run distances to detonation were measured using 80 mm long by 145 mm diameter LX-04 charges impacted by low velocity projectiles from a 155 mm diameter gun. The minimum shock pressure required to cause low levels of exothermic reaction were determined for these large LX-04 charge dimensions. Multiple shocks were generated as double shocks by using a flyer plate with two materials and as reflected shocks by placing a high impedance material at the rear of the explosive charge. In both cases, the first shock pressure was not high enough to cause detonation of LX-04, and the second shock pressure, which would have been sufficient to cause detonation if generated by a single shock, failed to cause detonation. Thus LX-04 exhibited shock desensitization over a range of 0.6 to 1.4 GPa. The higher shock pressure LX-04 model was extended to accurately simulate these lower pressure and multiple shock gauge records. The shock desensitization effects observed with multiple shock compressions were partially accounted for in the model by using a critical compression corresponding to a shock pressure of 1.2 GPa. This shock desensitization effect occurs at higher pressures than those of other HMX-based PBX's containing higher HMX percentages.