On Beyond The Standard Model For High Explosives

Plastic-bonded explosives (PBX) are heterogeneous materials. Nevertheless, current explosive models treat them as homogeneous materials. To compensate, an empirically determined effective burn rate is used in place of a chemical reaction rate. A significant limitation of these models is that different burn parameters are needed for applications in different regimes; for example, shock initiation of a PBX at different initial temperatures or different initial densities. This is due to temperature fluctuations generated when a heterogeneous material is shock compressed. Localized regions of high temperatures are called hot spots. They dominate the reaction for shock initiation. The understanding of hot spot generation and their subsequent evolution has been limited by the inability to measure transients on small spatial (≈ 1 [mu]m) and small temporal (≈ 1 ns) scales in the harsh environment of a detonation. With the advances in computing power, it is natural to try and gain an understanding of hot-spot initiation with numerical experiments based on meso-scale simulations that resolve material heterogeneities and utilize realistic chemical reaction rates. However, to capture the underlying physics correctly, such high resolution simulations will require more than fast computers with a large amount of memory. Here we discuss some of the issues that need to be addressed. These include dissipative mechanisms that generate hot spots, accurate thermal propceties for the equations of state of the reactants and products, and controlling numerical entropy error from shock impedance mismatches at material interfaces. The later can generate artificial hot spots and lead to premature reaction. Eliminating numerical hot spots is critical for shock initiation simulations due to the positive feedback between the energy release from reaction and the hydrodynamic flow.

Charles Mader, a leading scientist who conducted theoretical research at Los Alamos National Laboratory for more than 30 years, sets a new standard with this reference on numerical modeling of explosives and propellants. This book updates and expands the information presented in the author's landmark work, Numerical Modeling of Detonations, published in 1979 and still in use today. Numerical Modeling of Explosives and Propellants incorporates the considerable changes the personal computer has brought to numerical modeling since the first book was published, and includes new three-dimensional modeling techniques and new information on propellant performance and vulnerability. Both an introduction to the physics and chemistry of explosives and propellants and a guide to numerical modeling of detonation and reactive fluid dynamics, Numerical Modeling of Explosives and Propellants offers scientists and engineers a complete picture of the current state of explosive and propellant technology and numerical modeling. The book is richly illustrated with figures that support the concepts, and filled with tables for quick access to precise data. The accompanying CD-ROM contains computer codes that are the national standard by which modeling is evaluated. Dynamic material properties data files and animation files are also included. There is no other book available today that offers this vital information.

Includes papers that were first presented at a September 2011 conference organized by the National Defense Industrial Association and the International Ballistics Society. This title includes a CD-ROM that displays figures and illustrations in articles in full color along with a title screen and main menu screen.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is an incredible place. It was conceived and born amidst the most desperate of circumstances. It attracted some of the most brilliant minds, the most innovative entrepreneurs, and the most c- ative tinkerers of that generation. Out of that milieu emerged physics and engineering that beforehand was either unimagined, or thought to be f- tasy. One of the ?elds essentially invented during those years was the science of precision high explosives. Before 1942, explosives were used in munitions and commercial pursuits that demanded proper chemistry and con?nement for the necessary e?ect, but little else. The needs and requirements of the Manhattan project were of a much more precise and speci?c nature. Spatial and temporal speci?cations were reduced from centimeters and milliseconds to micrometers and nanoseconds. New theory and computational tools were required along with a raft of new experimental techniques and novel ways of interpreting the results. Over the next 40 years, the emphasis was on higher energy in smaller packages, more precise initiation schemes, better and safer formulations, and greater accuracy in forecasting performance. Researchers from many institutions began working in the emerging and expanding ?eld. In the midst of all of the work and progress in precision initiation and scienti?c study, in the early 1960s, papers began to appear detailing the ?rst quantitative studies of the transition from de?agration to detonation (DDT), ?rst in cast, then in pressed explosives, and ?nally in propellants.

"Science in the Twentieth Century and beyond provides a much-needed overview of the history of science from 1900 to the present day. It is the first book to survey modern developments in science during a century of unprecedented change, conflict and uncertainty. The scope is global and it covers a wide range of disciplines, including life sciences, information sciences, as well as aspects of mathematics, engineering and technology, and medicine"--Back cover.

This graduate text, and Cooper's companion introductory text ('Introduction to the Technology of Explosives'), serve the same markets as the successful explosives reference by Meyer, now in its 4th edition. VCH also published the International Journal of Propellants, Explosives, and Pyrotechnics. The resulting package would give VCH the major presence in the field. This text presents the basic technologies used in the engineering of explosives and explosive systems, i.e., chemistry, burning, detonation, shock waves, initiation theories, scaling. The book is written for upper-division undergraduate or graduate-level scientists and engineers, and assumes a good grasp of basic physics, chemistry, mechanics and mathematic through calculus. It is based on lecture notes used for graduate courses at the Dept. of Energy Laboratories, and could serve as a core text for a course at schools of mining or military engineering. The intent of the book is to provide the engineer or scientist in the field with an understanding of the phenomena involved and the engineering tools needed to solve/ design/ analyze a broad range of real problems.

High Explosives and Propellants, Second Edition is a four-part book classified into High Explosives, Blasting Accessories, Application of High Explosives, and Deflagrating and Propellent Explosives. Part I, High Explosives, centers on the general principles, manufacture, design, and assessment of this type of explosive. Part II, Blasting Accessories, describes initiation of explosives and different types of detonators. Part III, Application of High Explosives, deals with the commercial and military applications of high explosives. The last part, Deflagrating and Propellent Explosives, discusses the manufacture, properties, design, and application of propellants.

Introduction to the Technology of Explosives Paul W. Cooper and Stanley R. Kurowski Introduction to the Technology of Explosives is a clear and concise survey of the technologies and physical processes involved in explosive phenomena. The book is intended to provide the worker new to the field with sufficient background to understand problems that may arise and to interact intelligently with specialists in the field. The book covers the fundamentals of the chemistry of explosives; the mechanics of burning; sound, shock, and detonation; initiation and initiators; scaling in design and analysis; and off-the-shelf explosive devices. It provides the basic calculational skills needed to solve simple, first-order engineering design problems, and emphasizes the crucial importance of safety considerations. The book contains a broad range of data on explosive materials, and their properties and behavior, along with extensive lists of useful references. Example problems with solutions are provided in each technical area, as are descriptions and analysis of a wide variety of explosive devices. The book concludes with a thorough and comprehensive description of regulatory requirements for the classification, transportation, and storage of explosives, and an extensive guide to explosives safety in plant and test facilities. This book will be of interest to explosives technicians and engineers, government regulators, crime and accident scene investigators, and instructors in military, police, and FBI bomb schools.

This is a broad-based text on the fundamentals of explosive behavior and the application of explosives in civil engineering, industrial processes, aerospace applications, and military uses.