Detonation Calorimetry for Explosive Performance Prediction

Detonation calorimetry has been proposed as a method to down-select new explosives and explosive formulations for desired properties, as each experiment typically requires less explosive to test than traditional experiments. Heats of detonation for a variety of explosives have been previously calculated and/or experimentally obtained. Much of this historical data is scattered, and there are conflicting conclusions as to which performance parameters are appropriate to correlate to the heat of detonation. Here, we compile and review literature calculations and experimentally obtained heats of detonation for a variety of explosives and compare to known performance data. Disparities between calorimeter design and data interpretation across the literature are identified, and recommendations are made to standardize the detonation calorimetry technique going forward. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A (23-027). Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.