Steven J. Pemberton

Fast reactions of aluminum and explosive decomposition products in a post-detonation environment

In order to determine the reaction behavior of Al in RDX or HMX/cast-cured binder formulations shortly after the passage of the detonation, a series of cylinder tests was performed on formulations comprising of varying binder systems and either 3.5 μm spherical Al or LiF (an inert salt with a similar molecular weight and density to Al). In these studies, both detonation velocity and cylinder expansion velocity are measured in order to determine exactly how and when Al contributes to the explosive event, particularly in the presence of oxidizing/energetic binders. The U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Laboratory at Picatinny have recently coined the term “combined effects“ explosives for materials such as these; as they demonstrate both high metal pushing capability and high blast ability. This study is aimed at developing a fundamental understanding of the reaction of Al with explosives decomposition products, where both the detonation and early post-detonation environment are analyzed. Reac...

Measurements of near-field blast effects using kinetic plates

Few tests have been designed to measure the near-field blast impulse of ideal and non-ideal explosives, mostly because of the inherent experimental difficulties due to non-transparent fireballs and thermal effects on gauges. In order to measure blast impulse in the near-field, a new test has been developed by firing spherical charges at 152 mm (6 in) from steel plates and probing acceleration using laser velocimetry. Tests measure the velocity imparted to the steel plate in the 50 – 300 μs timeframe, and are compared with free-field overpressure measurements at 1.52 m (5 ft) and ms timescales using piezoelectric pencil gauges. Specifically, tests have been performed with C4 to probe the contributions of ideal explosives and charge size effects. Non-ideal aluminized explosive formulations have been studied to explore the role of aluminum in near-field blast effects and far-field pressure, and are compared with formulations using LiF as an inert surrogate replacement for Al. The results are compared with other near-field blast tests and cylinder tests, and the validity of this test is explored with modeling and basic theory.