The initiation of high surface area Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate using fiber-coupled laser-driven flyer plates

M. D. Bowden; R. C. Drake

doi:10.1117/12.734244

13 September 2007 The initiation of high surface area Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate using fiber-coupled laser-driven flyer plates

M. D. Bowden, R. C. Drake

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 6662, Optical Technologies for Arming, Safing, Fuzing, and Firing III; 66620D (2007) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.734244
Event: Photonic Devices + Applications, 2007, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

A system for launching flyer plates using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser has been developed for shock initiation of secondary explosives. Flyer plates have been launched at velocities exceeding 4 km s^-1. These flyers produce sub-nanosecond duration shocks in excess of 30 GPa on impact. Flyer planarity and integrity have been studied by impacting polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) windows and using a high-speed streak camera to record the light generated. Analysis of this data has provided an insight of the key mechanisms and enabled the system attributes to be controlled and optimized for explosive initiation. Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN) has been tested with specific surface areas (SSA) ranging from 12,700 cm² g^-1 to 25,100 cm² g^-1 and the effect of SSA on initiation threshold in this extremely short duration shock regime is examined. A minimum surface area size for initiation is evident. Calculations show that the pulse width is on the order of the particle size. We observed partial reactions in some firings, and we propose a mechanism to explain this. The normalized initiation thresholds are compared to electrical slapper thresholds on the same explosives, and these data have been used to evaluate P²τ for both laser driven flyer plates and electrically driven flyer plates. The critical energy fluence calculated is compared to published values and discussed for similar systems.

Citation Download Citation

M. D. Bowden and R. C. Drake "The initiation of high surface area Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate using fiber-coupled laser-driven flyer plates", Proc. SPIE 6662, Optical Technologies for Arming, Safing, Fuzing, and Firing III, 66620D (13 September 2007); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.734244

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