Publications Details
Shock characterization of nitrocellulose-based gun propellant
A series of shock-loading experiments on a nitrocellulose-based (NC-based) gun propellant was conducted using a light-gas gun. The intent of this work was to characterize the shock sensitivity of the gun propellant. The initial objectives were to obtained Hugoniot data and to investigate the pressure threshold at which a reaction initiates. For the Hugoniot/reaction threshold experiments, 1/4-length grains of propellant were mounted on the front of projectiles and were impacted onto either polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), fused silica or sapphire targets at velocities as high as 1.4 mm/{mu}s, the upper limit of the gun. The particle velocity data obtained from the VISAR (Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector) records for the propellant fit a Hugoniot curve found in the Russian literature for a double-base, NC-nitroglycerine propellant. The density initial bulk sound velocity, and empirical parameter S values for the gun propellant were 1.63 g/cm{sup 3}, 1.70 mm/{mu}s and 1.85, respectively. VISAR data were also used to obtained the ignition threshold pressures of the gun propellant. Reactions were observed at impact pressures of 2.6 GPa and above. 5 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.