Effect of Shell Material on the Detonation of an Explosive Charge

Abstract

The effect of shell material (copper and silicon carbide) on the detonation of a cylindrical explosive charge was analyzed. The wave patterns in the detonation products and the shells are substantially different, which is due to different sound velocities and the rapid destruction of the ceramic under explosive loading. The wave pattern at the explosive/ceramic interface was found to be affected by desensitization of the explosive due to its loading by an advancing wave from the shell side, resulting in a decrease in pressure, blurring of the detonation front, and an increase in particle velocity. Throughout the process, there is a continuous increase in the time of explosive decomposition near the interface between the explosive and the ceramic shell. An extended region with a constant pressure close to the Chapman–Jouguet pressure was observed on the axis of symmetry behind the detonation front of the explosive charge in the ceramic shell.