Detonation-Propagation Tests

Petino, Jr D. Westover, Detonation Propagation Tests on Aqueous Slurries of TNT, Compo-... 

Detonation—Propagating Tests Tests for the Possibility of Explosion... 

The authors discussed in the following such detonation-propagation tests as the 50/60 steel tube test under sand, the 50/60 steel tube test under water and the variable initiator test using the ballistic mortar or ballistic pendulum. If one or more of these tests is used, the detonation-propagation of self-reactive substances can be evaluated. The limitations of these methods is listed in Table 3.40. 

Underwater Detonation Propagation Test Using VP-50 Pipe... 

The other detonability length scale is the detonation cell width, X (also called cell size) which is the transverse dimension of diamond shaped cells generated by the transverse wave stmctnre at a detonation front. It has a fish scale pattern (see Figure 4-4). Detonation cell widths are nsnally measured by the traces (soot) deposited on smoke foils inserted in test vessels or piping surfaces. The more reactive the gas-air mixture, the smaller is the cell size. The same is tme for chemical indnction length as a qualitative measure of detonability. The cell width, X, is a parameter that is of practical importance. The transition from dehagration to detonation, propagation, and transmission of a detonation, can to some extent be eval-... 

Accdg to Price (Ref 15), in studying shock-to-detonation transitions a frequent question is whether a certain expl is extremely insensitive to shock or is, in fact, nondetonable under the test conditions. To answer it, some investigation must be made of the critical diam (dc) of cylindrical chges, i.e., that diam above which, deton propagates and below which deton fails. The loading density rather than the diam can be varied in that case, the critical density (pc) is detd. Pairs of such values form the detonability limit curve which divides the d—vs—p plane into one region where deton can occur and another where it must fail. 

Modified Influence (Propagation) Test. Gawthrop (Ref 1) and others used a modified gap test to determine the relative ability of a shielded donor charge to transfer detonation over an air gap to an acceptor charge. Clark (Ref 2) also used this method for the determination of the gap in the transmission of detonation from a small charge (0.5 to 2g) of HE to a cartridge of 40% straight dynamite... 

Gap Tes/(Propagation Test or Sympathetic Detonation Test). In order to ascertain the relative ability of the disturbance sent out by the explosion of a shielded detonator charged with pentryi as the base charge to transfer deton over an air gap to a receiving charge of an expIosive(such as dynamite), Clark used the same method as he described fa DDNP in IEC 25,668(1933)... 

Propagation Test. Under this name is described by L.V.Clark, lEC 25,668 1389(1933) an application of the gap fesf(qv) for testing the efficiency of detonators... 

Propagation Tests on Aqueous Slurries of RDX, HMX, M-l, and Nitrocellulose , ARLCD-CR-77002, Hazards Research Corp, Denville, Contract No DAAA21 -73-C-0772 (1977) [The purpose of the series of tests described in this report was to determine if a deliberately initiated deton would propagate in any of the aq HMX slurries of various concns tested when confined in horizontal, 2" diam, schedule 40, stainless steel pipes up to 40 in length. The authors conclude the following from their data 1). . Gelled HMX... 

Test No. Oxidizer (%) Sawdust (%) Total mass(g) Length of tube remaining Volume of crater Detonation propagation... 

The BAM 50/60 steel tube test, the TNO 50/70 steel tube test, and the gap test of the America Bureau of Mines are well-known 5). These methods are useful to assess detonation-propagation and are described in the earlier book 1 . ... 

Hazards of detonation and violent combustion of oxidizer mixtures are generally evaluated by tests of detonation—propagation, initiation sensitivity and explosion power. For oxidizer mixtures explosiveness is important To ensure the safety of operaters, it is necessary to investigate the mixing ignition, stability and super high—sensitivity with a small mass of sample before the practical test. In this field Treumann has done much of the work 1 1. ... 

For mixtures with low sensitivity, detonation-propagation must be investigated. For example, we cannot say the mixture possesses hazards of explosion if it cannot sustain propagation of detonation. A large quantity of sample is necessary in tests of this kind. Because of the noise of explosion, the explosion test under sand (Sec.3.8)is recommeded. 

Suzuki, Kato, Fukuda et al. have conducted drop hammer sensitivity tests, friction sensitivity tests, and card gap tests on composite propellants that include nitramine 18 . The authors have conducted safety evaluations in cooperation with engineers from Nippon Oils and Fats Corporation to prove that no detonation propagation exist in composite propellants. We used new evaluating methods 11 131. The outline of our study follows. As new methods were constantly being adopted for the study, our tests were conducted on trial-and-error basis. All of the tests described here are not necessary for the evaluation of the detonating feature in composite propellants. 

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