US EPA

8219316 

Meetings & Symposia 

Low velocity impacts on explosive assemblies 

Jones, AG; Dale, AJ; Hughes, CT; Cartwright, M 

2006 

700-707 

English 

Hazard and risk assessments are standard safety tools when working with explosives in order to improve safe systems of work. To develop the assessments, a knowledge and understanding of the threats to the explosives, the likely response of the explosive to that threat and the consequences of an event occurring is necessary. A major threat in any operation involving either bare or packaged explosives is low-speed impact. The lack of data regarding sub-shock impacts on consolidated explosives has in recent years led to new research being undertaken. This paper outlines the development of a versatile small-scale test that enables the study of impacts on explosive components. Impacts have been undertaken on a HMX-based explosive, hemispherical detonators and detonators in explosive using various geometry penetrators. Ignition of the explosives has been observed when the penetrator pinches the explosive against a metal surface and also when, at higher impact speeds, the penetrator is prevented from causing pinch to occur. Growth of the ignition into a violent event is seen to depend on the confinement afforded to the explosive. This growth of reaction is relatively slow permitting the confinement to be defeated by the pressure generated before the reaction develops into full-order detonation . ©British Crown Copyright 2006/MOD.