Shock Wave Properties of Inert and Chemically Active Porous Media

Abstract

Shock wave properties of porous specimens made on the basis of matrices composed of inert and chemically active media (silicon rubber and emulsion, which is an aqueous solution of ammonium nitrate with mineral oil and emulsifier) are studied. The porosity of the specimens is generated by using a filler composed of glass microspheres. The wave velocity profiles are measured by a VISAR laser Doppler interferometer. It is shown that the shock compressibility of porous silicon rubber at pressures below 0.1 GPa displays an anomalous behavior, resulting in smearing of the compression pulse front propagating over the specimen. In the emulsion matrices without microspheres, there are no noticeable chemical transformations up to the pressure of 15 GPa. Addition of microspheres drastically decreases the threshold of chemical reaction initiation and leads to the formation of a steady detonation wave.