Experimental study on the detonation process of a pulse detonation engine with ionized seeds

An experimental platform of a pulse detonation engine (PDE) was established to study the effect of different K₂CO₃ ionized seed mass contents on the detonation process. The pressure and ion concentration were detected in the detonation process of the PDE with different contents of ionized seeds. The initiation process of the PDE at different ignition frequencies was studied. The results show that the gas conductivity in the detonation process increased by adding ionized seeds to the PDE tube, and the conductivity increased with the increase in ionized seed mass content. With the increase in ionized seed mass content, the range of the conductivity decreased. The PDE was successfully ignited and formed a stable detonation wave at ignition frequencies of 5 Hz and 10 Hz, and the peak pressure of the stable detonation with the ignition frequency of 5 Hz was 17% higher than that with an ignition frequency of 10 Hz. The detonation wave intensity was weakened and degenerated to a shock wave that propagated in the tube without the fuel filled at the ignition frequency of 20 Hz.     

Analysis on damage characteristics and detonation performance of solid rocket engine charge subjected to jet

To further explore the damage characteristics and impact response of the shaped charge to the solid rocket engine (SRE) in storage or transportation, protective armor was designed and the shelled charges model (SCM)/SRE with protective armor impacting by shaped charge tests were conducted. Air overpressures at 5 locations and axial acceleration caused by the explosion were measured, and the experimental results were compared with two air overpressure curves of propellant detonation obtained by related scholars. Afterwards, the finite element software AUTODYN was used to simulate the SCM impacted process and SRE detonation results. The penetration process and the formation cause of damage were analyzed. The detonation performance of TNT, reference propellant, and the propellant used in this experiment was compared. The axial acceleration caused by the explosion was also analyzed. By comprehensive comparison, the energy released by the detonation of this propellant is larger, and the HMX or Al particles contained in this propellant are more than the reference propellant, with a TNT equivalent of 1.168–1.196. Finally, advanced protection armor suggestions were proposed based on the theory of woven fabric rubber composite armor (WFRCA).     

A quasi-isentropic model of a cylinder driven by aluminized explosives based on characteristic line analysis

A quasi-isentropic study on the process of driving a cylinder with aluminized explosives was carried out to examine the influence of the aluminum (Al) reaction rate on cylinder expansion and the physical parameters of the detonation products. Based on the proposed quasi-isentropic hypothesis and relevant isentropic theories, the characteristic lines of aluminized explosives driving a cylinder were analyzed, and a quasi-isentropic model was established. This model includes the variation of the cylinder wall velocity and the physical parameters of the detonation products with the Al reaction degree. Using previously reported experimental results, the quasi-isentropic model was verified to be applicative and accurate. This model was used to calculate the physical parameters for cylinder experiments with aluminized cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine explosives with 15.0 % and 30.0 % Al content. The results show that this quasi-isentropic model can be used not only to calculate the cylinder expansion rule or Al reaction degree, but also to calculate the physical parameters of the detonation products in the process of cylinder expansion. For explosives with 15.0 % and 30.0 % Al, 24.3 % and 18.5 % of the Al was found to have reacted at 33.9 μs and 34.0 μs, respectively. The difference in Al content results in different reaction intensity, occurrence time, and duration of two forms of reaction (diffusion and kinetic) between the Al powder and the detonation products; the post-detonation burning reaction between the Al powder and the detonation products prolongs the positive pressure action time, resulting in a continuous rise in temperature after detonation.     

Effects of nano-sized aluminum on detonation characteristics and metal acceleration for RDX-based aluminized explosive

Nano-sized aluminum(Nano-Al)powders hold promise in enhancing the total energy of explosives and the metal acceleration ability at the same time.However,the near-detonation zone effects of reaction between Nano-Al with detonation products remain unclear.In this study,the overall reaction process of 170 nm Al with RDX explosive and its effect on detonation characteristics,detonation reaction zone,and the metal acceleration ability were comprehensively investigated through a variety of experiments such as the detonation velocity test,detonation pressure test,explosive/window interface velocity test and confined plate push test using high-resolution laser interferometry.Lithium fluoride(LiF),which has an inert behavior during the explosion,was used as a control to compare the contribution of the reaction of aluminum.A thermochemical approach that took into account the reactivity of aluminum and ensuing detonation products was adopted to calculate the additional energy release by afterburn.Combining the numerical simulations based on the calculated afterburn energy and experimental results,the param-eters in the detonation equation of state describing the Nano-Al reaction characteristics were calibrated.This study found that when the 170 nm Al content is from 0％to 15％,every 5％increase of aluminum resulted in about a 1.3％decrease in detonation velocity.Manganin pressure gauge measurement showed no significant enhancement in detonation pressure.The detonation reaction time and reaction zone length of RDX/Al/wax/80/15/5 explosive is 64 ns and 0.47 mm,which is respectively 14％and 8％higher than that of RDX/wax/95/5 explosive(57 ns and 0.39 mm).Explosive/window interface velocity curves show that 170 nm Al mainly reacted with the RDX detonation products after the detonation front.For the recording time of about 10 μs throughout the plate push test duration,the maximum plate velocity and plate acceleration time accelerated by RDX/Al/wax/80/15/5 explosive is 12％and 2.9 μs higher than that of RDX/LiF/wax/80/15/5,respectively,indicating that the aluminum reaction energy significantly increased the metal acceleration time and ability of the explosive.Numerical simulations with JWLM explosive equation of state show that when the detonation products expanded to 2 times the initial volume,over 80％of the aluminum had reacted,implying very high reactivity.These results are significant in attaining a clear understanding of the reaction mechanism of Nano-Al in the development of aluminized explosives.     

Influence of propagation direction on operation performance of rotating detonation combustor with turbine guide vane

Due to the pressure gain combustion characteristics, the rotating detonation combustor (RDC) can enhance thermodynamic cycle efficiency. Therefore, the performance of gas-turbine engine can be further improved with this combustion technology. In the present study, the RDC operation performance with a turbine guide vane (TGV) is experimentally investigated. Hydrogen and air are used as propellants while hydrogen and air mass flow rate are about 16.1 g/s and 500 g/s and the equivalence ratio is about 1.0. A pre-detonator is used to ignite the mixture. High-frequency dynamic pressure transducers and silicon pressure sensors are employed to measure pressure oscillations and static pressure in the combustion chamber. The experimental results show that the steady propagation of rotating detonation wave (RDW) is observed in the combustion chamber and the mean propagation velocity is above 1650 m/s, reaching over 84% of theoretical Chapman-Jouguet detonation velocity. Clockwise and counterclockwise propagation directions of RDW are obtained. For clockwise propagation direction, the static pressure is about 15% higher in the combustor compared with counterclockwise propagation direction, but the RDW dominant frequency is lower. When the oblique shock wave propagates across the TGV, the pressure oscillations reduces significantly. In addition, as the detonation products flow through the TGV, the static pressure drops up to 32% and 43% for clockwise and counterclockwise propagation process respectively.     

Effects of total pressures and equivalence ratios on kerosene/air rotating detonation engines using a paralleling CE/SE method

In this paper, the kerosene/air rotating detonation engines(RDE) are numerically investigated, and the emphasis is laid on the effects of total pressures and equivalence ratios on the operation characteristics of RDE including the initiation, instabilities, and propulsive performance. A hybrid MPI + OpenMP parallel computing model is applied and it is proved to be able to obtain a more effective parallel performance on high performance computing(HPC) systems. A series of cases with the total pressure of 1 MPa, 1.5 MPa, 2 MPa, and the equivalence ratio of 0.9, 1, 1.4 are simulated. On one hand, the total pressure shows a significant impact on the instabilities of rotating detonation waves. The instability phenomenon is observed in cases with low total pressure (1 MPa) and weakened with the increase of the total pressure. The total pressure has a small impact on the detonation wave velocity and the specific impulse. On the other hand, the equivalence ratio shows a negligible influence on the instabilities, while it affects the ignition process and accounts for the detonation velocity deficit. It is more difficult to initiate rotating detonation waves directly in the lean fuel operation condition. Little difference was observed in the thrust with different equivalence ratios of 0.9, 1, and 1.4. The highest specific impulse was obtained in the lean fuel cases, which is around 2700 s. The findings could provide insights into the understanding of the operation characteristics of kerosene/air RDE.     

强脉冲 CO2 激光与靶的相互作用

在真空背景下的实验表明,当微秒量级的强脉冲激光与靶材相互作用时,由于靶材的升华,激光维持爆震波依然存在。爆震波产生的压缩波传入靶内,该应力波的作用是材料破坏的重要因素。而强脉冲激光引起的汽化反冲压力、热应力和烧蚀破坏也是不可忽视的因素。实验还表明,在真空背景下维持爆震波足以将后续激光屏蔽。     

A study on the surface overpressure distribution and formation of a double curvature liner under a two-point initiation

The formation mechanism of an EFP(explosively formed projectile) using a double curvature liner under the overpressure effect generated by a regular oblique reflection was investigated in this paper.Based on the detonation wave propagation theory,the change of the incident angle of the detonation wave collision at different positions and the distribution area of the overpressure on the surface of the liner were calculated.Three-dimensional numerical simulations of the formation process of the EFP with tail as well as the ability to penetrate 45# steel were performed using LS-DYNA software,and the EFP ve-locity,the penetration ability,and the forming were assessed via experiments and x-ray photographs.The experimental results coincides with those of the simulations.Results indicate that the collision of the detonation wave was controlled to be a regular oblique reflection acting on the liner by setting the di-mensions of the unit charge and maintaining the pressure at the collision point region at more than 2.4 times the CJ detonation when the incident angle approached the critical angle.The distance from the liner midline to the boundary of the area within which the pressure ratio of the regular oblique reflection pressure to the CJ detonation pressure was greater than 2.5,2,and 1.5was approximately 0.66 mm,1.32 mm,and 3.3 mm,respectively.It is noted that pressure gradient caused the liner to turn inside out in the middle to form the head of the EFP and close the two tails of the EFP at approximately 120μs.The penetration depth of the EFP into a 45# steel target exceeded 30 mm,and there was radial expansion between the head and tail of the EFE increasing the penetration resistance of the EFP.Therefore,the structural size of the unit charge and the liner can be further optimized to reduce resistance to increase the penetration ability of the EFP.     

Direct ink writing of 3D-Honeycombed CL-20 structures with low critical size

3D-Honeycombed CL-20 structures with low critical size of detonation have been fabricated successfully for intelligent weapon systems using a micro-flow direct ink writing (DIW) technology. The CL-20-based explosive ink for DIW technology was prepared by a two-component adhesive system with waterborne polyurethane (WPU) and ethyl cellulose (EC). Not only the preparation of the explosive ink but also the principle of DIW process have been investigated systematically. The explosive ink displayed strong shear-thinning behavior that permitted layer-by-layer deposition from a fine nozzle onto a substrate to produce complex shapes. The EC content was varied to alter the pore structure distribution and rheological behavior of ink samples after curing. The deposited explosive composite materials are of a honeycombed structure with high porosity, and the pore size distribution increases with the increase of EC content. No phase change was observed during the preparation process. Both WPU and EC show good compatibility with CL-20 particles. Apparently high activation energy was realized in the CL-20-based composite ink compared with that of the refined CL-20 due to the presence of non-energetic but stable WPU. The detonation performance of the composite materials can be precisely controlled by an adjustment in the content of binders. The 3D honeycombed CL-20 structures, which are fabricated by DIW technology, have a very small critical detonation size of less than 69 μm, as demonstrated by wedge shaped charge test. The ink can be used to create 3D structures with complex geometries not possible with traditional manufacturing techniques, which presents a bright future for the development of intelligent weapon systems.     

Study of simple plane wave generator with an air-metal barrier

Plane wave generators (PWGs) are used to accelerate flyer plates to high velocities with their generated plane waves, which are widely used in the test of dynamic properties of materials. The traditional PWG is composed of two explosives with different detonation velocities. It is difficult to implement the related fabrication processes and control the generated waves due to its complicated structures. A simple plane wave generator is presented in this paper, which is composed of two identical cylindrical high explosive (HE) charges and an air-metal barrier. A theoretical model was established based on two different paths of the propagation of detonation waves, based on which the size of air-metal barrier was calculated for a given charge. The corresponding numerical simulations were also carried out by AUTODYN-2D^® based on the calculated results, which were used to compare with the theoretical calculations. A detonation wave with a flatness of 0.039 μs within the range of 70-percent diameter of the main charge was obtained through the simulations.     

Fabrication and characterization of mussel-inspired layer-by-layer assembled CL-20-based energetic films via micro-jet printing

Three-dimensional (3D) micro-jet printing is a droplet deposition technique based on liquid-phase materials. To improve the deposition density and performance of energetic films with micro/nanoscale on an energetic chip, polydopamine (PDA) was utilized as a linker bridge to induce the in-situ self-assembly of CL-20-based energetic film via 3D micro-jet printing. The self-assembly was extensively characterized by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), SEM, power-XRD, XPS, and DSC. The performance of the self-assembled film was verified by the mechanical properties and detonation properties, and a possible self-assembly mechanism in the layer-by-layer micro-jet printing process was proposed. The results indicated PDA-induced self-assembly enhanced the physical entanglement between the binders and energetic crystal, reduced the porosity from 15.87% to 11.28%, and improved the elastic modulus and the detonation performance of the CL-20-based energetic film. This work proposes a novel and promising energetic film design and fabrication strategy to enhance the interaction between the energetic composite layers in the micro-jet printing process.     

Application of Two-dimensional Viscous CE/SE Method in Calculation of Two-phase Detonation

The method of two-dimensional viscous space-time conservation element and solution element (CE/SE) can be used to calculate the gas-liquid two-phase interior flow field in pulse detonation engine (PDE). In this paper, the evolution of the detonation wave and the distribution of its physical parameters were analyzed. The numerical results show that the change of axial velocity of gas is the same as that of detonation pressure. The larger the liquid droplet radius is, the longer the time to get stable detonation wave is. The calculated results coincide with the experimented results better.     

Numerical and experimental study on the response characteristics of warhead in the fast cook-off process

The response characteristics of the warhead under thermal stimuli conditions are important to the safety improvement. The goal of this study is to obtain data on the warhead in the fast cook-off process. In this paper, a numerical calculation method is proposed, whose reliability is supported by comparison with experimental results. Through the numerical calculation, the temperature distribution, temperature change, and ignition time are acquired. The numerical results show that the ignition time is 76 s after the warhead started to burn and that the maximum temperature of the explosive's outer surface is 238.3 C at the ignition time. The fast cook-off experiment of the warhead is implemented so as to get the flame temperature and reaction grades that are not available through numerical calculation. The experimental results show that the overpressure fails to reach the preset minimum value which is equivalent to 6 kg of TNT and that the reaction grade is deflagration. The research results have reference value for the design of the warhead and the reduction of detonation risks.     

Experimental research on the instability propagation characteristics of liquid kerosene rotating detonation wave

In order to study the instability propagation characteristics of the liquid kerosene rotating detonation wave (RDW), a series of experimental tests were carried out on the rotating detonation combustor (RDC) with air-heater. The fuel and oxidizer are room-temperature liquid kerosene and preheated oxygen-enriched air, respectively. The experimental tests keep the equivalence ratio of 0.81 and the oxygen mass fraction of 35% unchanged, and the total mass flow rate is maintained at about 1000 g/s, changing the total temperature of the oxygen-enriched air from 620 K to 860 K. Three different types of instability were observed in the experiments: temporal and spatial instability, mode transition and re-initiation. The interaction between RDW and supply plenum may be the main reason for the fluctuations of detonation wave velocity and pressure peaks with time. Moreover, the inconsistent mixing of fuel and oxidizer at different circumferential positions is related to RDW oscillate spatially. The phenomenon of single-double-single wave transition is analyzed. During the transition, the initial RDW weakens until disappears, and the compression wave strengthens until it becomes a new RDW and propagates steadily. The increased deflagration between the detonation products and the fresh gas layer caused by excessively high temperature is one of the reasons for the RDC quenching and re-initiation.     

Enhancing the explosive characteristics of a Semtex explosive by involving admixtures of BCHMX and HMX

A well-known ternary plastic explosive, Czech Semtex 1H, contains a mixture of PETN and RDX softened by SBR. In this work, BCHMX was used to replace PETN in Semtex 1H to form Sem-BC+RDX. In addition, another mixture based on BCHMX and HMX as energetic fillers bonded by the polymeric matrix of Semtex 1H (Sem-BC+HMX) was studied. The particle size distribution of each individual explosive was determined to obtain the optimum mixing conditions. Friction and impact sensitivities were determined. The velocity of detonation was reported practically and the detonation properties were calculated by EXPLO5 code. The explosive strength of each sample was measured by the ballistic mortar test. The conclusion confirms that the velocity of detonation of Sem-BC+HMX was the highest in comparison with the prepared samples. Sem-BC+RDX has the least impact and frictions sensitivities. Sem-BC+RDX has higher detonation velocity, detonation properties and explosive strength than Semtex 1H. Addition of BCHMX in Semtex 1H as a replacement for PETN is the candidate to produce a high performance advanced Czech plastic explosive.     

Verification and validation of detonation modeling

The mathematical model used to describe the detonation multi-physics phenomenon is usually given by highly coupled nonlinear partial differential equations. Numerical simulation and the computer aided engineering (CAE) technique has become the third pillar of detonation research, along with theory and experiment, due to the detonation phenomenon is difficult to explain by the theoretical analysis, and the cost required to accredit the reliability of detonation products is very high, even some physical experiments of detonation are impossible. The numerical simulation technique can solve these complex problems in the real situation repeatedly and reduce the design cost and time stunningly. But the reliability of numerical simulation software and the serviceability of the computational result seriously hinders the extension, application and the self-restoration of the simulation software, restricts its independently innovational ability. This article deals with the physical modeling, numerical simulation, and software development of detonation in a unified way. Verification and validation and uncertainty quantification (V&V&UQ) is an important approach in ensuring the credibility of the modeling and simulation of detonation. V&V of detonation is based on our independently developed detonation multi-physics software-LAD2D. We propose the verification method based on mathematical theory and program function as well as availability of its program execution. Validation is executed by comparing with the experiment data. At last, we propose the future prospect of numerical simulation software and the CAE technique, and we also pay attention to the research direction of V&V&UQ.     

爆轰波斜冲击作用下破片飞散特性研究

为研究非对称结构战斗部的破片飞散特性,利用斜激波理论对爆轰波作用于壳体表面的过程进行研究,并利用自由面速度倍增定律对波在自由面反射后质点速度的计算进行简化,得到了破片飞散角的计算模型。利用D型战斗部试验数据对计算模型进行验证,结果表明,斜激波理论计算得到的破片飞散与试验结果吻合很好;当入射角较小时,壳体飞散角与入射角成线性关系。     

Data-driven prediction of plate velocities and plate deformation of explosive reactive armor

Explosive reactive armor (ERA) is currently being actively developed as a protective system for mobile devices against ballistic threats such as kinetic energy penetrators and shaped-charge jets. Considering mobility, the aim is to design a protection system with a minimal amount of required mass. The efficiency of an ERA is sensitive to the impact position and the timing of the detonation. Therefore, different designs have to be tested for several impact scenarios to identify the best design. Since analytical models are not predicting the behavior of the ERA accurately enough and experiments, as well as numerical simulations, are too time-consuming, a data-driven model to estimate the displacements and deformation of plates of an ERA system is proposed here. The ground truth for the artificial neural network (ANN) is numerical simulation results that are validated with experiments. The ANN approximates the plate positions for different materials, plate sizes, and detonation point positions with sufficient accuracy in real-time. In a future investigation, the results from the model can be used to estimate the interaction of the ERA with a given threat. Then, a measure for the effectiveness of an ERA can be calculated. Finally, an optimal ERA can be designed and analyzed for any possible impact scenario in negligible time.     

Numerical modelling of non-ideal detonation in ANFO explosives applying Wood-Kirkwood theory coupled with EXPLO5 thermochemical code

Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO) based explosive is a classic example of non-ideal high explosives. Its detonation is characterized by a strong dependence of detonation parameters on explosive charge diameter, presence and characteristics of confinement, as well as incomplete consumption of explosive at the sonic point.In this work we propose a detonation model based on the Wood-Kirkwood (WK) theory coupled with the thermochemical code EXPLO5 and supplemented with reaction rate models. Our objective is to analyze the validity of the model for highly non-ideal ANFO explosives, with emphasis on effect of reaction rate models.It was found that both single-step and two-step pressure-based models can be calibrated to reproduce experimental detonation velocity-charge radius data of ANFO at radii significantly above the failure radius (i.e. for D/D_id > ∼0.6). Single-step pressure-based model, with the pressure exponent equal to 1.4, proved to be the most accurate, even in the vicinity of the failure radius. The impact of the rate models is most evident on temporal (and spatial) distribution of flow parameters in detonation driving zone, especially when it comes to the conversion and width of detonation driving zone.     

聚能射流形成过程的理论建模与分析

分析了聚能射流的形成过程,并对其中的各阶段进行了详细建模。在模型中考虑了炸药爆轰、金属的驱动、药型罩压垮以及射流和杵体的形成过程。采用该模型对某一聚能装药结构进行了计算,计算结果表明:药型罩顶部和底部微元的压垮速度较小,在射流头部形成反向速度梯度,与试验数据吻合较好。该模型对于多级侵彻战斗部的工程设计与侵彻参数的计算具有一定的参考价值。