Propellants Explosives Pyrotechnics, Vol.42, No.12, 1431-1438, 2017
Oblique Impacts and Friction of HMX and/or TATB-based PBXs
Transportation, handling, vibrations can lead to dynamic loadings requiring the characterization of the safety of plastic-bonded explosives (PBX). One of the addressed situations is the fall of explosive on a surface. Knowing that initiation can occur at a lower height during a vertical fall of a projectile on an inclined target than on a horizontal one, devices were developed to determine the critical thresholds. In this paper, data obtained on four HMX and/or TATB-based PBXs using pendulum drop configurations are detailed. Two analytical models are compared to estimate the heat released by friction at the interface. The model proposed in this paper yields the better agreement with data, and with finite element numerical simulations of the oblique impact on a given PBX. Lastly, the mechanical dissipation at the interface is estimated using this model and the simulations. This paper confirms that PBX/target friction cannot be the heating mechanism leading to initiation during oblique impacts.