Evaluating the Role of Radiation in High-Explosive Shock Initiation by the use of Aluminum & Lithium Flouride-Loaded Explosives

Aluminum (Al) and lithium fluoride (LiF) powders are High Explosive (HE)-like in many of their physical properties: density, molecular weight, melting point and shock Hugoniot. This means that when Al and LiF powders are added to HEs to form a mixture, they (to first order) alter reactive rather than physical properties. Al-loaded explosives are well known to alter HE reactivity and are often used to prolong reaction and add thermal energy. While LiF apparently does not undergo reaction when mixed with HE, there is reason to believe that the tremendous light output of shocked LiF can contribute to HE initiation via radiation ahead of the CJ state. Such early-time light intensity is not created by similarly-formulated aluminized explosives, in which is decreased shock sensitivity in those relative to LiF is observed. A variety of sensitivity tests, such as Gapstick, ECOT, front curvature will be employed to further examine this effect.