Publications

Results 101–122 of 122

Search results

Jump to search filters

Critical detonation thickness in vapor-deposited pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) films

AIP Conference Proceedings

Tappan, Alexander S.; Knepper, Robert; Wixom, Ryan R.; Marquez, Michael P.; Ball, James P.; Miller, Jill C.

The use of physical vapor deposition is an attractive technique to produce microenergetic samples to study sub-millimeter explosive behavior. Films of the high explosive PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) were deposited through vacuum thermal sublimation. Deposition conditions were varied to understand the effect of substrate cooling capacity and substrate temperature during deposition. PETN films were characterized with surface profilometry and scanning electron microscopy. Detonation velocity versus PETN film thickness was analyzed using a variation of the standard form for analysis of the diameter effect. Results were compared with previous work conducted on PETN films deposited with lower substrate cooling capacity. Seemingly subtle variations in PETN deposition conditions led to differences in detonation behaviors such as critical thickness for detonation, detonation velocity at "infinite" thickness, and the shape of the critical thickness curves. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.

More Details
TYPE Conference YEAR 2012
OSTIScopus

Microenergetic shock initiation studies on deposited films of PETN

AIP Conference Proceedings

Tappan, Alexander S.; Wixom, Ryan R.; Trott, Wayne T.; Long, Gregory L.; Knepper, Robert; Brundage, Aaron B.; Jones, David A.

Films of the high explosive PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) up to 500-μm thick have been deposited through physical vapor deposition, with the intent of creating well-defined samples for shock-initiation studies. PETN films were characterized with microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and focused ion beam nanotomography. These high-density films were subjected to strong shocks in both the out-of-plane and in-plane orientations. Initiation behavior was monitored with high-speed framing and streak camera photography. Direct initiation with a donor explosive (either RDX with binder, or CL-20 with binder) was possible in both orientations, but with the addition of a thin aluminum buffer plate (in-plane configuration only), initiation proved to be difficult. Initiation was possible with an explosively-driven 0.13-mm thick Kapton flyer and direct observation of initiation behavior was examined using streak camera photography at different flyer velocities. Models of this configuration were created using the shock physics code CTH. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.

More Details
TYPE Conference YEAR 2009
ScopusOSTI
Results 101–122 of 122
Results 101–122 of 122