Effects of vacuum degree on the detonation characteristics of RDX composite explosive containing MgH2 powders
J.-W. Xu1, Y.-F. Cheng1,2, Z.-Q. Cheng1,3, Z.-H. Chen1, R.-K. Zhu1
1School of Chemical and Blasting Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, China
2State Key Laboratory for Safety Mining of Deep Coal Resources and Environment Protection, Huainan, China
3Anhui Construction Huaihe Construction Investment Co., Ltd, Huainan, China
Keywords: hydrogen-accumulating alloy, high-explosive, vacuum depression, afterburning effect, color pyrometry
Abstract
Hydrogen-storage alloys, a typical example of which is MgH2, are attracting considerable interest as potential components for enhancing the performance of energetic materials. To study the effect of vacuum depression on detonation parameters, RDX-based composite explosive samples with varying MgH2 powder contents were manufactured. Using a spherical explosion chamber and color pyrometry, shock wave parameters and temperature fields were analyzed depending on the vacuum depression. Experiments have shown that RDX/MgH2 composite compositions outperform pure RDX in detonation characteristics and thermal damage potential. With increasing vacuum, peak pressure and positive impulse decrease, the duration of the positive phase varies non-monotonically, and thermal damage performance also improves within a certain range. A comparative analysis of the effects of MgH2 and Mg additives on the explosion characteristics of RDX compositions at atmospheric pressure and in high vacuum conditions revealed that MgH2 provides a significantly more pronounced positive effect on the shock wave parameters, as well as on the volume and lifetime of the fireball. These results suggest that MgH2 powder can be considered a promising energy additive for the creation of new, highly effective high-explosive compositions.
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