MODELING OF THERMAL HOT SPOTS IN THE SHOCK-TO-DETONATION TRANSITION IN ENERGETIC MATERIALS

THIS PROJECT IS AIMED AT PROVIDING A MORE PHYSICALLY-BASED MODEL OF THE EFFECTS OF THE CREATION OF THERMAL HOT SPOTS AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT REACTION (EXPLOSION) ON THE SHOCK-TO-DETONATION TRANSITION IN HETEROGENEOUS EXPLOSIVES. THIS WORK WOULD PROVIDE UNDERSTANDING OF EXPLOSIVES/PROPELLANTS SENSITIVITY TO UNPLANNED STIMULI SUCH AS BLAST WAVES, HIGH-SPEED FRAGMENT IMPACTS, AND HEAT. IT WOULD PROVIDE APPROXIMATE SOLUTIONS THAT LINK HOT SPOT FORMATION, THERMAL EXPLOSION, RESULTANT SHOCK FLOWS, AND CHEMICAL ENERGY LIBERATED, ALL IN THE "MICROSCOPIC" NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE HOT SPOTS, TO THE MOTION OF THE HOT SPOT-FORMING, "MACROSCOPIC" INCIDENT SHOCK TO PROVIDE A FEEDBACK MECHANISM. THE RESULT OF THIS ANALYSIS WOULD BE THE DERIVATION OF APPROXIMATE SOLUTIONS, BASED ON REASONABLY-DETAILED HOT SPOT FLOW DYNAMICS AND REACTIVITY, WHICH WILL SERVE AS CHEMICAL ENERGY SOURCE TERMS IN CONVENTIONAL HYDRODYNAMIC CODES USED FOR PREDICTING THE TRANSITION TO DETONATION IN EXPLOSIVES FOR ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS. THE NEW SOURCE TERMS WOULD REPLACE THE DIFFERENT EMPIRICAL SOURCE TERMS IN CURRENT VOGUE. BETTER PREDICTIVE METHODS ARE ESSENTIAL TOWARDS MEETING THE AIR FORCE/DOD NEED FOR DESIGNING INSENSITIVE MUNITIONS AS WELL AS SHAPED CHARGE AND SELF-FORGING FRAGMENT WARHEADS.