The Effect of Subsonic Confiner Flow on Detonation Propagation

A detonation consists of a shock wave driven by the gasdynamic evolution induced by chemical energy release following the shock, traveling supersonically relative to the upstream reactant state. In condensed phase explosives, the evolution of the detonation is strongly influenced by the Mach number of the flow in the inert confinement material surrounding the explosive. Typically, the detonation induces an oblique shock in the confiner. Due to the oblique configuration, the flow in the confiner can either be supersonic or subsonic along the material interface, whereas in the explosive the flow along the material interface is subsonic. Supersonic flow in the inert is moderately easy to analyze. Subsonic flow in the inert is harder due to the elliptic nature of the flow. We analyze the influence of subsonic inert flow on the dynamics of the detonation motion. This includes consideration of confiner thickness and material properties.