V. E. Khrapovskii

Initial stage of the explosion of ammonium nitrate and its powder mixtures

There is an obvious contradiction between the statistics of the devastating explosions that take place with the participation of ammonium nitrate and explosive properties of this material determined in standard tests. Pure ammonium nitrate does not burn under normal conditions and has a very low sensitivity to conventional mechanical and thermal stimuli. So far, ammonium nitrate has been detonated only by using high explosives. Causes of accidental explosions involving large masses of ammonium nitrate are likely to be found in a nonconventional behavior of ammonium nitrate. These changes may arise due to different chemical or physical factors, such as those associated with the presence of active additives, crushing of particles, etc., and lead to acceleration of the process at the initial stage of explosion. This work is devoted studying the convective burning and the initial stage of deflagration-to-detonation transition in dry and wet mixtures of ammonium nitrate with various, largely combustible additives. Experiments were conducted on loose-packed charges in a constant-volume bomb and by using the method of the critical bed height with recording pressure-time diagrams by a piezoelectric sensor. Ammonium nitrate of two different types was used: granular and powdered. The fuel additives were charcoal and aluminum powder, whereas the additives inhibiting the combustion of ammonium nitrate were water and monosodium salt of phosphoric acid. In addition, finely dispersed mixture of four components (ammonium nitrate, aluminum, powdered sugar, and TNT in a proportion of 76: 8: 12: 4) was used. The experiments in the constant-volume bomb were supplemented by numerical simulations, which made it possible to obtain a better understanding of the convective burning of the test mixtures and to evaluate the possibility of using a constant-volume bomb to collect quantitative information on the intensity of the combustion of the mixture at the initial stage of the explosion.

Onset and development of convective burning in highly porous charges of ammonium perchlorate and its mixtures with aluminum

The onset and development of convective burning in the charges with a high porosity prepared from the finely dispersed ammonium perchlorate and its mixtures with aluminum ASD-4 is studied. The experiments were carried out in a constant volume bomb with the record of the pressure-time history and in the confinement with a slit, which makes it possible to perform simultaneously the photographic and piezometric recording of the process. Special attention is given to the mixtures with the increased aluminum content. The minimum lengths of samples are determined at which convective burning or explosion occur. The dependence of these lengths on the aluminum concentration in the mixture is determined. The possibility of convective burning and low-velocity detonation in ammonium perchlorate without the combustible additive is shown. It is established that the introduction of aluminum causes the ignition of the dispersed suspension behind the front of convective burning with the formation of the brightly glowing high-pressure zone (the secondary wave), which intensively expands in both sides from the place of origin. When the secondary wave overtakes the front of convective burning, the low-velocity detonation appears. The obtained results are of interest for explosion safety of the mixtures of ammonium perchlorate with aluminum and for designing generators of high-temperature suspensions with aluminum particles.

Convective burning of block charges prepared from seven-perforation propellant powder grains inhibited by polyvinyl butyral

The burning of block charges prepared from seven-perforation propellant powder grains inhibited with polyvinyl butyral is studied. The experiments are carried out in a constant-volume bomb, nozzle bomb with a post-combustion chamber, and a 23-mm laboratory gun device, setups that provide a wide range of combustion conditions. The progress of the combustion process and the motion of the projectile along the barrel are recorded using a set of piezoelectric sensors. The varied parameters are the amount of inhibitor, density of the monoblock (1.2–1.45 g/cm3), and the power of the igniter. The different combustion conditions achievable in the bomb and laboratory gun device enable to assess the impact of the pressure-rise rate on the rate of the convective burning of the block charge. Adjusting the properties of the latter makes it possible to vary the convective burning rate within 10–60 m/s, which is optimal for using the block charge for producing a shot. The results show that, when used in block charges, coarse seven-perforation propellant powders can provide, despite their own high burning progressivity, an equally high effect as the previously studied fine-grain propellant powders. At a given maximum pressure, the observed increase in the muzzle velocity for block charges exceed 12% as compared to a pour-density charge prepared from regular seven-perforation propellant powder. Based on numerical simulations, an analysis of the experimental data is performed and an explanation of the experimentally observed influence of the pressure rise rate on the convective burning rate of block charges is proposed.

Convective burning of an aluminum-water mixture

The burning of a stoichiometric mixture of aluminum (PAP-2 powder) with water in a constant-volume bomb is studied. It is shown that, depending on the charge diameter and igniter-generated pressure, three situations can arise: the mixture does not burn, burns slowly (in the layer-by-layer mode), or burns rapidly in the convective mode. The characteristics of the rapid burning, such as the effect of the igniter-generated burning, charge length, and initial charge density, are in general similar to those of the convective burning of mixtures of aluminum powder with an oxidizing agent (AP or PA), described in the literature. The difference lies in the fact that, due to a relatively low water activity as an oxidant, the convective burning of aluminum-water mixtures is harder to initiate, and it proceeds at a much lower velocity.

On convective combustion of ammonium perchlorate mixtures with aluminum

This paper presents an experimental study of the effect of aluminum particle shape, sample density, and small additions of an organic fuel (polymethylmethacrylate) on the initiation and development of convective combustion in bulk and pressed mixtures of ammonium perchlorate with aluminum. It is shown that replacing spherical particles of ASD-4 aluminum by flaky particles of PAP-2 and increasing the mixture density above a certain value results in an increase in the minimum length of samples at which convective combustion begins and its transition to an explosive process is recorded. With the addition of small amounts (up to 4%) of polymethylmethacrylate, this length decreases.

Generation of blast waves in a channel by nonideal detonation of aluminum-enriched high-density compositions

The results of experimental studies of the nonideal detonation of high-density, high-energy aluminum-ammonium perchlorate-organic fuel-HE compositions and of the blast waves it generates in a channel filled with air are presented. Aluminum-enriched compositions have high densities (up to 2 g/cm3) and high heats of explosion, nearly twice that for TNT. The studies were performed to work out scientific fundamentals of controlling nonideal detonation and to explore the possibility of creating new high-energy high-density formulations with an enhanced fugacity effect. The factors that enable controlling the nonideal detonation of such charges were determined. It was demonstrated that, at RDX contents above 15%, the detonation velocity increases linearly with the charge density while the critical detonation diameter decreases. Adjusting the density, HE content, ratio of the components makes it possible to vary the detonation velocity in high-density charges over a wide range, from 4 to 7 km/s. The experimental data were compared to the thermodynamically calculated velocity of ideal detonation. For the compositions under study, the pressure- time histories of the blast wave generated in a cylindrical tube by the expanding detonation products at different distances from the charge were measured. The results were compared to analogous data obtained under the same conditions for the detonation of the same mass of TNT (100 g). The parameters of blast waves generated by the test compositions are markedly superior to those characteristic of TNT: the pressure at the leading front of the wave and pressure impulse at a given distance from the charge were found to be 1.5–2.0 (or even more) times those observed for TNT. The TNT equivalency at pressures 30–60 atm has similar values. The TNT equivalencies in pressure and pressure impulse depend nonmonotonically on the distance from the charge, so far unclear why. It was established that the interaction between excess fuel and air oxygen during the expansion of detonation products contributes little to supporting the blast wave.

Convective burning of fine ammonium nitrate–aluminum mixtures in a closed volume bomb

It is commonly assumed that the burning of ammonium nitrate–aluminum mixtures is much less prone to undergo a transition to explosion and detonation than similar mixtures based on ammonium perchlorate. However, this conclusion has been made for mixtures based on commercial-grade ammonium nitrate with large particles. In this study, the combustion of fine loose-packed mixtures of ammonium nitrate and aluminum in a closed-volume bomb has been examined. It has been shown that fine mixtures (ammonium nitrate with a particle size of less than 40 µm and an ASD-4 aluminum powder with spherical particles with a size of about 4 µm) undergo high-intensity combustion; in experiments with a stoichiometric mixture, explosions are observed. The explosions occur in the initial phase of convective combustion and lead to abrupt pressure pulsations with an amplitude of a few kilobars and to the destruction of the cup in which the sample is placed. The dynamics of development of the explosion has been analyzed in detail using numerical simulation. According to the results of experiments with varied parameters—the degree of dispersion of the ammonium nitrate powders, the aluminum content in the mixture, the length and diameter of the charge, and the level of pressure generated by the combustion of the igniter,—threshold conditions have been determined to separate the following modes: the absence of ignition, layer-by-layer combustion, or convective combustion with a transition into an explosion in experiments with a stoichiometric mixture.

Deflagration-to-detonation transition in mixtures of finely divided ammonium perchlorate with submicron aluminum powder

Deflagration-to-detonation transition in binary mixtures of fine ammonium perchlorate (20-μm grains) with submicron ALEX-L aluminum powder (0.2-μm particles) is studied using high-speed photography and pressure recording with quartz crystal sensors. The test mixtures were loaded in thin-walled quartz tubes of inner diameter 10 mm. The charges had a porosity of ~50%. It has been shown that, even under very mild conditions (low-strength shell and a weak source of initiation), the deflagration mode of mixture combustion easily transforms into the detonation mode. The shortest length of the region of transition from deflagration to normal detonation (not more than 30 mm) was observed for a lean mixture, with an aluminum content of ~5%. The mechanism of transition to detonation involves the stage of convective combustion, resulting in the formation of a brightly luminescent crescent-shaped area behind the primary flame front, which, in turn, generates a forward (in the direction of propagation) and a backward wave. The forward wave gives rise to low-speed detonation, which later transforms into normal detonation. The pressure profile within the region of low speed detonation is measured. A comparison with similar experiments in which ALEX-L alu- minum powder was replaced by ASD-4 aluminum (4 μm particles) shows that ALEX-L sensitizes the mixture, resulting in a dramatic reduction of the length of the transition region, making it possible to produce normal detonation in low-strength shells.