Proton radiographic and numerical of colliding, diverging PBX-9502 detonations.

Abstract

The Proton radiographic shot PRAD0077 was designed to study the interaction of colliding, diverging PBX-9502 detonations. The shot consisted of a 50 mm by 50 mm cylinder of PBX-9502 initiated on the top and bottom at the axis by a SE-1 detonator and a 12 mm by 12 mm cylinder of 9407. Seven radiographs were taken at times before and after the detonation collision. The system was modeled using the one-dimensional SIN code with C-J Burn in plane and spherically diverging geometry and using the two-dimensional TDL code with C-J Burn and Forest Fire. The system was also modeled with the recently developed AMR Eulerian reactive hydrodynamic code called NOBEL using Forest Fire. The system results in a large dead or nonreactive zone as the detonation attempts to turn the corner which is described by the model using Forest Fire. The peak detonation pressure achieved by the colliding diverging detonation is 50 gpa and density of 3.125 mg/ml which is about the same as that achieved by one-dimensional spherically diverging 9502 detonations but less than the one-dimensional plane 9502 peak colliding detonation pressure of 65 gpa and density of 3.4 mg/ml. The detonation travels for over 10 mm before it starts to expand and turn the corner leaving more than half of the explosive unreacted. The resulting diverging detonation is more curved than a one-dimensional spherical diverging detonation and has a steeper slope behind the detonation front. This results in the colliding pressure decaying faster than one-dimensional colliding spherical diverging pressures decay. The calculations using Forest Fire reproduce the major features of the radiograph and can be used to infer the colliding detonation characteristics