Jijun Xiao

Molecular dynamics simulations of RDX and RDX-based plastic-bonded explosives

Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate well-known energetic material cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) crystal and RDX-based plastic-bonded explosives (PBXs) with four typical fluorine-polymers, polyvinylidenedifluoride (PVDF), polychlorotri-fluoroethylene (PCTFE), fluorine rubber (F(2311)), and fluorine resin (F(2314)). The elastic coefficients, mechanical properties, binding energies, and detonation performances are obtained for the RDX crystal and RDX-based PBXs. The results indicate that the mechanical properties of RDX can be effectively improved by blending with a small amount of fluorine polymers and the overall effect of fluorine polymers on the mechanical properties of the PBXs along three crystalline surfaces is (001)>(010) approximately (100) and PVDF is regarded to best improve the mechanical properties of the PBXs on three surfaces. The order of the improvement in the ductibility made by the fluorine polymers on different surfaces is (001) approximately (010)>(100). The average binding energies between different RDX crystalline surfaces and different polymer binders are obtained, and the sequence of the binding energies of the PBXs with the four fluorine polymers on the three different surfaces is varied. Among the polymer binders, PVDF is considered as best one for RDX-based PBXs. The detonation performances of the PBXs decrease in comparison with the pure crystal but are superior to those of TNT.

Molecular dynamics simulations of AP/HMX composite with a modified force field.

An all-atom force field for ammonium perchlorate (AP) is developed with the framework of pcff force field. The structural parameters of AP obtained with the modified force field are in good agreement with experimental values. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to investigate AP/HMX (1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocane) composite at different temperatures. The binding energies, thermal expansion coefficient, and the trigger bond lengths of HMX in the AP/HMX composite have been obtained. The binding energies of the system increase slightly with temperature increasing, peak at 245K, and then gradually decrease. The volume thermal expansion coefficient of the AP/HMX composite has been derived from the volume variation with temperature. As the temperature rises, the maximal lengths of the trigger bond N-NO(2) of HMX increase gradually. The simulated results indicate that the maximal length of trigger bond can be used as a criterion for judging the sensitivity of energetic composite.

Simulation investigations in the binding energy and mechanical properties of HMX-based polymer-bonded explosives

The molecular simulations of the well-known high explosive β-HMX (cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine) and its fluorine containing polymer-bonded explosives (PBXs) were carried out with the combination method of quantum mechanics, molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics. The atomic cluster model, containing the β-HMX molecule and the polymer molecule whose chain dimension was about the same as β-HMX’s, was fully optimized by AM1 and PM3 semi-empirical molecular orbital and molecular mechanical methods using COMPASS and PCFF force field. Then the calculated binding energy is found to be linearly correlated to each other. Molecular dynamics simulations using COM-PASS force field were performed for β-HMX crystal and the PBXs involving β-HMX and a series of fluorine containing polymers. Their elastic coefficients, moduli and Poisson’s ratios were calculated. It is found that the mechanical properties of β-HMX can be effectively improved by blending with fluorine containing polymers in small amounts.

Molecular dynamic simulations on the structures and properties of ɛ-CL-20(0 0 1)/F2314 PBX

Molecular dynamical (MD) simulations with the COMPASS force field were employed to investigate the influences of temperature (T), the concentration of F(2314) binder (W%), and crystal defects on the mechanical properties, binding energy (E(bind)), and detonation properties of epsilon-CL-20(001)/F(2314) PBX (polymer bonded explosives). T was found to have some influences on the mechanical properties, and the PBX at 298 K was considered with better mechanical properties. By radial distribution function g(r) analysis the three types of hydrogen bonds, H...O, H...F, and H...Cl were predicted as the main interaction formats between F(2314) and epsilon-CL-20, and the strength of these interactions changed with temperature changing. The isotropic properties of the PBX increased with W% increasing, but each modulus and E(bind) did not monotonously vary with W% increasing. The detonation properties of the PBX decreased with the increasing W%, and the PBX with 4.69% F(2314) was regarded with good detonation properties. The existence of crystal defects (vacancy or adulteration) might increase the elasticity but destabilize the system to some extent, and the mechanical properties of PBX were chiefly determined by the main body explosive. The above information was thought guidable for practical formulation design of PBX.

Theoretical study on intermolecular interactions and thermodynamic properties of water–hydrogen peroxide clusters

Abstract Ab initio SCF and Moller–Plesset correlation correction methods employing both 6-311G* and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets have been applied to the optimizations of H 2 O 2 (H 2 O) n clusters with n =1–3. The binding energies have been corrected for the basis set superposition error (BSSE). An optimized stable cluster with a cyclic structure has been obtained for each degree of polymerization. The corrected binding energies of the stable dimer, trimer and tetramer are predicted to be −26.14, −54.51 and −98.68xa0kJ/mol, respectively, at the MP4/aug-cc-pVDZ//MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level. Binding energy for the dimer is in good agreement with that estimated from the experimental frequency shifts. The proportion of correlated interaction energies to their total interaction energies for all clusters is at least 36.3 percent, and the BSSE for Δ E (MP2) is at least 5.5xa0kJ/mol. Hydrogen bond is dominant in all clusters. There exist cooperative effects in the cyclic trimer and tetramer. Vibrational modes associated with the peroxide O–H rocking modes exhibit large blue shifts as compared to that of H 2 O 2 , whereas those assigned to the stretching of OH, which is bound by H 2 O, exhibit very large red shifts with large intensities as the results of large dipole moment changes. Thermodynamic properties of water–hydrogen peroxide clusters at different temperatures have been calculated on the basis of vibrational analyses. The change of the Gibbs free energies for the aggregation from monomer to the dimer, trimer and tetramer are predicted to be 10.98, 20.24 and 17.30xa0kJ/mol, respectively, at 1xa0atm and 298.15xa0K.

Molecular dynamics study of the structure and performance of simple and double bases propellants

To investigate the structure and performance of simple and double bases propellants, the nitrocellulose (NC), nitroglycerin (NG), and double mixed system (NC+NG) have been simulated by using the molecular dynamics (MD) method with the COMPASS force field. The interactions between NC and NG have been analyzed by means of pair correlation functions. The mechanical properties of the three model systems, i.e. elastic coefficients, modulus, Cauchy pressure, and Poissons ratio, etc., have been obtained. It is found that the rigidity, ductibility, and tenacity of the double bases propellants (NC+NG) are stronger than those of simple base propellants (NC), which attributes to the effect of NG and the strong interactions between NC and NG. The detonation properties of the three systems have also been calculated and the results show that compared with the simple base propellant (NC), the detonation heat and detonation velocity of the double base propellants (NC+NG) are increased.

Molecular dynamics study on the relationships of modeling, structural and energy properties with sensitivity for RDX-based PBXs

In this paper, a primary model is established for MD (molecular dynamics) simulation for the PBXs (polymer-bonded explosives) with RDX (cyclotrimethylene trinitramine) as base explosive and PS as polymer binder. A series of results from the MD simulation are compared between two PBX models, which are represented by PBX1 and PBX2, respectively, including one PS molecular chain having 46 repeating units and two PS molecular chains with each having 23 repeating units. It has been found that their structural, interaction energy and mechanical properties are basically consistent between the two models. A systematic MD study for the PBX2 is performed under NPT conditions at five different temperatures, i.e., 195 K, 245 K, 295 K, 345 K, and 395 K. We have found that with the temperature increase, the maximum bond length (Lmax) of RDX N−N trigger bond increases, and the interaction energy (EN-N) between two N atoms of the N−N trigger bond and the cohesive energy density (CED) decrease. These phenomena agree with the experimental fact that the PBX becomes more sensitive as the temperature increases. Therefore, we propose to use the maximum bond length Lmax of the trigger bond of the easily decomposed and exploded component and the interaction energy EN-N of the two relevant atoms as theoretical criteria to judge or predict the relative degree of heat and impact sensitivity for the energetic composites such as PBXs and solid propellants.

A novel model for the molecular dynamics simulation study on mechanical properties of HMX/F2311 polymer-bonded explosive

The ‘insert’ model for β-octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX)-based polymer-bonded explosive (PBX) was proposed for finding the relation of temperatures with mechanical properties. This model was simulated by using molecular dynamics models. The elastic constants and the effective moduli were calculated with static analysis method. Cauchy pressure was also calculated. It is found that the rigidity is weakened and the ductibility is improved by adding a small amount of F2311 in the crystalline HMX. The rigidity is also weakened with increasing temperature. However, the ductibility of HMX/F2311 PBX changes as a parabola with increasing temperature duo to the enhancement of F2311 molecular chain movement and simultaneously the increment of high energy conformation ratio in this molecular chain, i.e. the increment of the molecular chain rigidity.