Calibration of Parameters of the Equation of State of Black Powder Based on Underwater Explosion Experiments and Genetic Algorithm

ABSTRACT Black powder is still widely used in civil and scientific research fields, and it occasionally causes hazardous accidents. Thus, it is of great significance to describe its explosion effects. From a phenomenological perspective, this study uses the Jones‐Wilkins‐Lee (JWL) equation of state (EOS) to describe the explosion products of black powder, which makes it more convenient to conduct numerical simulations of black powder explosions. In order to accurately and quickly obtain the parameters of the JWL EOS for the explosion products, a calibration method combining underwater explosion shock wave data with an improved genetic algorithm is proposed. In practical applications, the peak pressure of the shock wave is the primary factor considered when evaluating hazards. Starting from the peak pressure of the shock wave obtained from underwater explosion experiments, the parameters are continuously optimized based on the combination of the genetic algorithm and numerical simulation, and finally, the EOS of the explosive explosion products is determined. The results show that the pressure‐distance attenuation curve calculated based on the parameters of the JWL equation after identification has a small deviation from the test data and the fitted empirical formula, with the coefficient of determination ( R 2 ) being greater than 0.98. At the same time, by changing the amount of explosive and comparing it with other test working conditions, the two are in good agreement, further demonstrating the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method.