140 research outputs found
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EDC-37 Deflagration Rates at Elevated Pressures
We report deflagration rates on EDC-37 at high pressures. Experiments are conducted using the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory High Pressure Strand Burner (HPSB) apparatus. The HPSB contains a deflagrating sample in a small volume, high pressure chamber. The sample consists of nine, 6.35 mm diameter, 6.35 mm length cylinders stacked on end, with burn wires placed between cylinders. Sample deflagration is limited to the cross-sectional surface of the cylinder by coating the cylindrical surface of the tower with Halthane 88-2 epoxy. Sample deflagration is initiated on one end of the tower by a B/KNO{sub 3} and HNS igniter train. Simultaneous temporal pressure history and burn front time of arrival measurements yield the laminar deflagration rate for a range of pressures and provide insight into deflagration uniformity. These measurements are one indicator of overall thermal explosion violence. Specific details of the experiment and the apparatus can be found in the literature
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Deflagration Behavior of PBX 9501 at Elevated Temperature and Pressure
We report the deflagration behavior of PBX 9501 at pressures up to 300 MPa and temperatures of 150-180 C where the sample has been held at the test temperature for several hours before ignition. The purpose is to determine the effect on the deflagration behavior of material damage caused by prolonged exposure to high temperature. This conditioning is similar to that experienced by an explosive while it being heated to eventual explosion. The results are made more complicated by the presence of a significant thermal gradient along the sample during the temperature ramp and soak. Three major conclusions are: the presence of nitroplasticizer makes PBX 9501 more thermally sensitive than LX-04 with an inert Viton binder; the deflagration behavior of PBX 9501 is more extreme and more inconsistent than that of LX-04; and something in PBX 9501 causes thermal damage to 'heal' as the deflagration proceeds, resulting in a decelerating deflagration front as it travels along the sample
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Testing of explosives mixed with clay to determine maximum explosive content of non-reactive mixtures
This report contains a detailed description of the experiments conducted to demonstrate that debris from explosives testing in a shot tank that contains 4 weight percent or less of explosive is non-reactive under the specified testing protocol in the Code of Federal Regulations. As such it is a companion report to UCRL-ID-128999, "Program for Certification of Waste from Contained Firing Facility - Establishment of Waste as Non-Reactive and Discussion of Potential Waste Generation Problems.
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SMALL-SCALE IMPACT SENSITIVITY TESTING ON EDC37
EDC37 was tested at LLNL to determine its impact sensitivity in the LLNL's drop hammer system. The results showed that impact sensitivities of the samples were between 86 cm and 156 cm, depending on test methods. EDC37 is a plastic bonded explosive consisting of 90% HMX, 1% nitrocellulose and binder. We recently conducted impact sensitivity testing in our drop hammer system and the results are presented in this report
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Program for certification of waste from contained firing facility: Establishment of waste as non-reactive and discussion of potential waste generation problems
Debris from explosives testing in a shot tank that contains 4 weight percent or less of explosive is shown to be non-reactive under the specified testing protocol in the Code of Federal Regulations. This debris can then be regarded as a non-hazardous waste on the basis of reactivity, when collected and packaged in a specified manner. If it is contaminated with radioactive components (e.g. depleted uranium), it can therefore be disposed of as radioactive waste or mixed waste, as appropriate (note that debris may contain other materials that render it hazardous, such as beryllium). We also discuss potential waste generation issues in contained firing operations that are applicable to the planned new Contained Firing Facility (CFF). The goal of this program is to develop and document conditions under which shot debris from the planned Contained Firing Facility (CFF) can be handled, shipped, and accepted for waste disposal as non-reactive radioactive or mixed waste. This report fulfills the following requirements as established at the outset of the program: 1. Establish through testing the maximum level of explosive that can be in a waste and still have it certified as non-reactive. 2. Develop the procedure to confirm the acceptability of radioactive-contaminated debris as non-reactive waste at radioactive waste disposal sites. 3. Outline potential disposal protocols for different CFF scenarios (e.g. misfires with scattered explosive)
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THE ODTX SYSTEM FOR THERMAL IGNITION AND THERMAL SAFETY STUDY OF ENERGETIC MATERIALS
Understanding the response of energetic material to thermal event is very important for the storage and handling of energetic materials. The One Dimensional Time to Explosion (ODTX) system at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) can precisely measure times to explosion and minimum ignition temperatures of energetic materials at elevated temperatures. These measurements provide insight into the relative ease of thermal ignition and allow for the determination of kinetic parameters. The ODTX system can potentialy be a good tool to measure violence of the thermal ignition by monitoring the size of anvil cavity. Recent ODTX experimental data on various energetic materials (solid and liquids) are reported in this paper
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CHARACTERIZATION OF DAMAGED MATERIALS
Thermal damage experiments were conducted on LX-04, LX-10, and LX-17 at high temperatures. Both pristine and damaged samples were characterized for their material properties. A pycnometer was used to determine sample true density and porosity. Gas permeability was measured in a newly procured system (diffusion permeameter). Burn rate was measured in the LLNL strand burner. Weight losses upon thermal exposure were insignificant. Damaged pressed parts expanded, resulting in a reduction of bulk density by up to 10%. Both gas permeabilities and burn rates of the damaged samples increased by several orders of magnitude due to higher porosity and lower density. Moduli of the damaged materials decreased significantly, an indication that the materials became weaker mechanically. Damaged materials were more sensitive to shock initiation at high temperatures. No significant sensitization was observed when the damaged samples were tested at room temperature
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A Historical and Current Perspective on Predicting Thermal Cookoff Behavior
Prediction of thermal explosions using chemical kinetic models dates back nearly a century. However, it has only been within the past 25 years that kinetic models and digital computers made reliable predictions possible. Two basic approaches have been used to derive chemical kinetic models for high explosives: [1] measurement of the reaction rate of small samples by mass loss (thermogravimetric analysis, TGA), heat release (differential scanning calorimetry, DSC), or evolved gas analysis (mass spectrometry, infrared spectrometry, etc.) or [2] inference from larger-scale experiments measuring the critical temperature (T{sub m}, lowest T for self-initiation), the time to explosion as a function of temperature, and sometimes a few other results, such as temperature profiles. Some of the basic principles of chemical kinetics involved are outlined, and major advances in these two approaches through the years are reviewed
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ALE3D Simulation and Measurement of Violence in a Fast Cookoff Experiment for LX-10
Fast cookoff is of interest in the areas of fire hazard reduction and the development of directed energy systems for defense. During a fast cookoff (thermal explosion), high heat fluxes cause rapid temperature increases and ignition in thin boundary layers. We are developing ALE3D models to describe the thermal, chemical, and mechanical behavior during the heating, ignition, and explosive phases. The candidate models and numerical strategies are being evaluated using benchmark cookoff experiments. Fast cookoff measurements were made in a Scaled-Thermal-Explosion-eXperiment (STEX) for LX-10 (94.7% HMX, 5.3% Viton A) confined in a 4130 steel tube with reinforced end caps. Gaps were present at the side and top of the explosive charge to allow for thermal expansion. The explosive was heated until explosion using radiant heaters. Temperatures were measured using thermocouples positioned on the tube wall and in the explosive. During the explosion, the tube expansion and fragment velocities were measured with strain gauges, Photonic-Doppler-Velocimeters (PDVs), and micropower radar units. A fragment size distribution was constructed from fragments captured in Lexan panels. ALE3D models for chemical, thermal, and mechanical behavior were developed for the heating and explosive processes. A multi-step chemical kinetics model is employed for the HMX while a one-step model is used for the Viton. A pressure-dependent deflagration model is employed during the expansion. A Steinberg-Guinan model represents the mechanical behavior of the solid constituents while polynomial and gamma-law expressions are used for the equation of state of the solid and gas species, respectively. Parameters for the kinetics model were specified using measurements of the One-Dimensional-Time-to-Explosion (ODTX), while measurements for burn rate were employed to determine parameters in the burn front model. The simulations include radiative and conductive transport across the dynamic gaps between the explosive charge and metal case. Model results are compared to measurements for the temperature fields, time to explosion, and wall expansion rates
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Reduced yield detonation characteristics in large failure diameter materials
We have made detailed measurements of the approach to steady, self-supported propagating shock waves at greatly reduced yield in composite propellants. Propa- gation velocities are less than one half the theoretical value expected for full reac- tion at the sonic plane. Previous experimental studies 1 have given evidence of similar behavior. Also, previous theoretical work 2 in an analytic form has shown the possibility of reduced yield detonations. We have developed a reaction model coupled with a hydrody- namic code that together provide a description of the coupling of the complex reac- tion behavior with shock propagation and expansion in energetic materials. The model results show clearly that if the dependence of reaction rate on pressure is of sufficiently low order and the mode of consumption is by "grain burning" the calcu- lated detonation behavior closely parallels the observed non-ideal results. We describe the experiments, the reaction model, and compare experimental and calculational results. We also extend the model to predict results in the unexplored regime of very large size charges
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