Experimental-Computational Method for Determining the Critical Detonation Diameter of High-Density Explosive Charges

This paper describes the process of obtaining homogeneous mixtures of RDX, HMX, PETN, TNT, Fox-7, and benzotrifuroxane of various dispersities with polysiloxane (SKT) as an inert soft polymer. The specific surface area of crystalline explosives varies from 440 to 4750 cm2/g, and the explosive content in the mixtures ranges from 65 to 82 wt %. Each binary mixture (explosives/SKT) yields solid, practically nonporous, flat (round with a diameter of 40 mm and square with a size of $$40 \times 40$$ mm) charges of various thicknesses and elongated cylindrical (cord) charges of various diameters. Flat and cord charges are characterized by the same composition, dispersity, density, and defectiveness of explosive crystals. The critical detonation thicknesses and diameters of all mixtures are determined experimentally with an accuracy of 0.05 mm. Test conditions: flat and cord charges without shells located on a metal base. It is revealed that the ratio of the critical detonation diameter to the critical detonation thickness is practically constant and equal to $$1.83 \pm 0.1$$ . The previously obtained dependence of the critical detonation diameter of explosives and explosive mixtures on the change porosity is also taken into account. An equation for the correct recalculation of the experimental critical detonation thickness of pressed charges of crystalline explosives with real porosity into the critical detonation diameter of high-density charges is obtained. This equation is additionally confirmed by testing many individual explosives of different dispersity and known literature data conducted in this work.