Thin Pulse Experiments Performed on Heated Insensitive High Explosives

In order to bridge the data gap between “sustained” gas gun impact testing (>5 mm thick flyers) and “E-gun” testing (10s-100s μm thick flyers), thin pulse experiments have been conducted using the single stage gas gun facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Of particular interest to this study is the initiation of insensitive high explosives (IHEs), and although some limited “short shock” experiments have been performed on IHEs in the past, new data with precise target measurement is necessary to better inform reactive flow models in development. Experiments were performed to measure the thin pulse shock initiation of insensitive high explosive formulations at elevated temperatures to build on prior experiments at ambient and cooled temperatures. Manganin pressure gauge data were analyzed to determine run-distance to detonation for each shot. As seen in sustained experiments on explosives at different temperatures, heated IHE proved more sensitive than at lower temperatures. Information about temperature-based kinetics of insensitive high explosives can be gleaned from these tests, and data obtained is used to inform computational models in development. A discussion of this work will include the experimental parameters, data analysis, run-distance-to-detonation comparisons to prior ambient and cooled temperature thin pulse experiments, sustained shock experiments on IHEs, simulations created using a reactive flow model in development, as well as detail on potential future experiments. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract DEAC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-872201