Design, Assembly, and Results of the PAGODA Detonation Failure Diameter Test

TATB-based explosives including PBX 9502 have significant advantages in terms of safety over conventional high explosives. There are several disadvantages, however, including a large detonation failure diameter and poor corner turning performance relative to conventional high explosives. Experimental testing to determine failure diameter typically involves multiple ratestick tests at successively smaller diameters until a diameter is reached where the detonation can no longer propagate. This process is time consuming due to the multiple tests required. Previous attempts to replace failure diameter tests with a single experiment have involved geometries where a steadily propagating detonation wave cannot be established due to the geometry, such as failure cone experiments. Here, we describe the design, assembly, and results of an experiment that replaces multiple failure diameter tests with a single test, yet allows the detonation wave to become steady in each diameter tested. This test utilized a particular lot of PBX 9502, but the design can be applied to other lots or explosives.