Flame spread through cracks of PBX 9501 (a composite octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine-based explosive) Available to Purchase

Recent experiments involving combustion of PBX 9501 [a plastic-bonded high explosive composed of 95% octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) by weight in a plasticized, estane-based binder] under confined conditions underscore the importance of cracks and flaws in reaction violence. The presence of a small void space or alternative escape path for combustion gases at the closed end of a crack drastically alters combustion violence. In the case of a true closed-ended crack, where gases can only escape by exiting the open end of the crack, luminous combustion spreads through the closed crack at relatively low rates in the range of a few meters per second, regardless of the pressure external to the slot. Hence, external pressure determines whether reaction can progress into the restricted dimensions of the slot, but it does not necessarily determine the dynamics of the flame’s progress in the slot. When an alternative combustion-gas escape path is available at the closed end of the slot, luminous combustion spreads through the crack at hundreds of meters per second. Additionally, combustion in cracks of confined PBX 9501 materials exhibits oscillatory behavior with a frequency of about $1000Hz$ for the experimental configuration used. This oscillatory behavior resembles combustion instabilities observed in rocket motors and may arise from similar processes. We also report on preliminary experiments involving $19.1cm$ long slots in confined PBX 9501, which have produced very high flame-propagation rates of $1500m∕s$⁠.