Effects of Strong Shocks on Lead Azide

This section is concerned with incident shock waves with peak pressures in the 1-10-kbar range that are typical of detonation pressures required to initiate explosives. Experimental techniques to make measurements in these shock regimes are neither easily developed nor commonly available thus much of the section emphasizes the principles and instrumental approaches utilized to obtain the data. 

In the case of lead azide, Andreev [42] and Bowden and Yoffe [43] suggest that lead azide detonates immediately after being ignited and that a burning regime is absent. The theory of fracture that was subsequently developed to explain the initiation of fast reaction [44,45], and the previous observations lead to the conclusion that the shock initiation mechanism of this primary explosive is not likely to exhibit the same characteristics as those exhibited by the secondary explosives. However, examination of the shock sensitivity of dextrinated and polyvinyl lead azide to pulse durations vaiying from 0.1 to 4.0 psec shows that the initiation characteristics are indeed similar to those observed for heterogeneous explosives. 

Equation of State of Unreacted Lead Azide via Gas-Gun Measurements 

The Hugoniot equation of state and the sensitivity of dextrinated lead azide to shocks of long duration were determined by subjecting lead azide pellets to 

CARBON OR MANGANIN PIEZO RESISTIVE GAUGES REAR MOUNTED GAUGES MEASURE TRANSMITTED WAVE PROFILE 

---