Effect of windows and adhesive on the temperature measurement of detonating explosive

Pyrometry has previously been deployed on a series of cylinder test experiments to determine the temperature of the detonation products. In the previous experiments lithium fluoride windows were affixed to the HMX based explosive using an adhesive. The effect of the LiF windows and adhesive on the measured temperature have to date not been investigated. To ascertain how the measured temperatures were affected, a gas gun experiment was undertaken using three pyrometers to observe a detonating explosive charge. Each pyrometer observed a different region of the explosive charge: one looking through a LiF window fixed to the explosive using adhesive, one observing a region through a LiF window held mechanically to the surface of the explosive charge, and the final pyrometer observing the bare explosive. The results from each pyrometer have been compared and are presented.

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