Accession Number:

ADA060889

Title:

Predicting High Explosive Detonation Velocities from Their Composition and Structure

Descriptive Note:

Final rept.

Corporate Author:

NAVAL WEAPONS STATION YORKTOWN VA

Personal Author(s):

• Rothstein, Lewis R.
• Peterson, Robert

Report Date:

1978-09-01

Pagination or Media Count:

24.0

Abstract:

A simple, empirical linear relationship between detonation velocity at theoretical maximum density and a factor, F, that is dependent solely upon chemical composition and structure is postulated for a gamut of ideal explosives. The explosives ranged from nitroaromatics, cyclic and linear nitramines, nitrate esters and nitro-nitrato aliphatics to zero hydrogen explosives, carbonless explosives and hydrogen rich explosives. Of the 64 explosives evaluated, 72 had calculated detonation velocity values within 3 of experimental and 95 within 7. Only mixtures of TNM and NM and TNM itself varied grossly greater than 20 from calculated velocities and the absolute error for all explosives is or - 2.8. Predicted C-J detonation pressures for 19 explosives had an absolute error of or - 10 and when TNM was excluded, an absolute error of or - 6.5. With the exception of TNM and its mixtures, these results compare favorably with more complex predictive models.

Descriptors:

• *DETONATIONS
• *HIGH EXPLOSIVES
• *VELOCITY
• ALIPHATIC COMPOUNDS
• AROMATIC COMPOUNDS
• CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
• LINEAR SYSTEMS
• MATHEMATICAL PREDICTION
• MIXTURES
• NITRAMINES
• NITRATES
• NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
• PRESSURE

Subject Categories:

• Ammunition and Explosives
• Explosions

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE