The role of rapidly compressed gas pockets in the initiation of condensed explosives

The mechanism of initiation of explosion by the rapid compression of gas spaces has been studied by means of high-speed photography at framing rates up to 10 7 frames s -1 . Single crystals of silver azide, lead azide and PETN were mounted in a water tank and gas bubbles of chosen composition and size (diameter in the range 50 μm to 1 mm) collapsed on to them by water shocks of strength about 0.1 GPa (1 kbar). The gas bubbles collapsed to minimum volumes in times of the order of 1 μs (depending on the initial bubble size). Initiation of fast reaction occurred in the azides within ca . 5 × 10 -8 s of the bubble reaching minimum volume provided the bubble made thermal contact with the explosive. During the collapse, the bubble involuted to form a jet of velocity of a few 100 ms -1 , and after reaching minimum volume, expanded giving an expansion shock. The importance of these phenomena in the initiation of explosion, as well as possible initiation by shock perturbation, was assessed in a series of experiments designed to separate the various possible mechanisms. The conclusion is that adiabatic heating of the gas in the bubble was the prime cause for initiation. Calculations, and experiments with gases such as argon and helium (high value of γ ; the ratio of the specific heats) and butane (low γ ) supported this conclusion. Finally, the relevance to other explosive situations is discussed.

1972 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 825-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Kling ◽  
F. G. Hammitt

The collapse of spark-induced cavitation bubbles in a flowing system was studied by means of high speed photography. The migration of cavitation bubbles toward a nearby solid boundary during collapse and rebound was observed. Near its minimum volume the bubble typically formed a high speed microjet, which struck the nearby surface causing individual damage craters on soft aluminum.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailong Chen ◽  
Baoyu Ni ◽  
Wenjin Hu ◽  
Yanzhuo Xue

The damage effects of ship structures under the contact jet loads of bubble are studied by using an electric spark bubble as well as high-speed photography. A series of model experiments of ship structures under contact explosion was carried out in a water tank. On the one hand, we monitored the displacement and period of the oscillation of a hull plate of a ship model with a large bending rigidity. On the other hand, we observed the overall motion of a box-beam model with a small bending rigidity. The results show that when the distance parameter is less than 0.6, the bubble jet will impact on the surface of the structure directly, which is defined as “contact bubble jet” herein. The contact bubble jet causes significant local loads on the ship and induces the “sagging moment” effect. This mainly results from the relatively negative bending moment caused by the bubble attached to the hull. With the increase of detonation distance, this negative bending moment decreases. As a result, the oscillation amplitude of the ship structure decreases sharply and the oscillation period reduces gradually.


2022 ◽  
Vol 934 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.-Y. Yuan ◽  
B.-Y. Ni ◽  
Q.-G. Wu ◽  
Y.-Z. Xue ◽  
D.-F. Han

Ice breaking has become one of the main problems faced by ships and other equipment operating in an ice-covered water region. New methods are always being pursued and studied to improve ice-breaking capabilities and efficiencies. Based on the strong damage capability, a high-speed water jet impact is proposed to be used to break an ice plate in contact with water. A series of experiments of water jet impacting ice were performed in a transparent water tank, where the water jets at tens of metres per second were generated by a home-made device and circular ice plates of various thicknesses and scales were produced in a cold room. The entire evolution of the water jet and ice was recorded by two high-speed cameras from the top and front views simultaneously. The focus was the responses of the ice plate, such as crack development and breakup, under the high-speed water jet loads, which involved compressible pressure ${P_1}$ and incompressible pressure ${P_2}$ . According to the main cause and crack development sequence, it was found that the damage of the ice could be roughly divided into five patterns. On this basis, the effects of water jet strength, ice thickness, ice plate size and boundary conditions were also investigated. Experiments validated the ice-breaking capability of the high-speed water jet, which could be a new auxiliary ice-breaking method in the future.


Author(s):  
N. K. Bourne ◽  
S. C. Garcea ◽  
D. S. Eastwood ◽  
S. Parry ◽  
C. Rau ◽  
...  

The well-known Taylor cylinder impact test, which follows the impact of a flat-ended cylindrical rod onto a rigid stationary anvil, is conducted over a range of impact speeds for two polymers, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK). In previous work, experiments and a model were developed to capture the deformation behaviour of the cylinder after impact. These works showed a region in which spatial and temporal variation of both longitudinal and radial deformation provided evidence of changes in phase within the material. In this further series of experiments, this region is imaged in a range of impacted targets at the Diamond synchrotron. Further techniques were fielded to resolve compressed regions within the recovered polymer cylinders that showed a fracture zone in the impact region. The combination of macroscopic high-speed photography and three-dimensional X-ray imaging has identified the development of failure with these polymers and shown that there is no abrupt transition in behaviours but rather a continuous range of responses to competing operating mechanisms. The behaviours noted in PEEK in these polymers show critical gaps in understanding of polymer high strain-rate response.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (32) ◽  
pp. 8470-8474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Pan ◽  
Akihito Kiyama ◽  
Yoshiyuki Tagawa ◽  
David J. Daily ◽  
Scott L. Thomson ◽  
...  

Striking the top of a liquid-filled bottle can shatter the bottom. An intuitive interpretation of this event might label an impulsive force as the culprit in this fracturing phenomenon. However, high-speed photography reveals the formation and collapse of tiny bubbles near the bottom before fracture. This observation indicates that the damaging phenomenon of cavitation is at fault. Cavitation is well known for causing damage in various applications including pipes and ship propellers, making accurate prediction of cavitation onset vital in several industries. However, the conventional cavitation number as a function of velocity incorrectly predicts the cavitation onset caused by acceleration. This unexplained discrepancy leads to the derivation of an alternative dimensionless term from the equation of motion, predicting cavitation as a function of acceleration and fluid depth rather than velocity. Two independent research groups in different countries have tested this theory; separate series of experiments confirm that an alternative cavitation number, presented in this paper, defines the universal criteria for the onset of acceleration-induced cavitation.


The initiation and propagation of deflagration and detonation in mercury fulminate, lead azide, mercuric-5-nitrotetrazole and silver-5-nitrotetrazole have been studied using various techniques. Streak and framing high-speed photography were used to observe these events directly. The main aim has been to investigate the factors which affect deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) and the related phenomenon of dead-pressing, which may be regarded as a failure of the DDT process at high pressed densities. These factors include the variable properties of pressed density, void structure, confinement and charge dimension and geometry, and also fixed properties (for a given explosive) such as shock and thermal sensitivities, heat of explosion and the quantity and state of the reaction products. The nature and strength of the initiating stimulus also have a major effect on the subsequent reaction.


Author(s):  
Jun Chen ◽  
Joseph Katz ◽  
Charles Meneveau

This paper examines the interactions among different length-scales of turbulence during straining and de-straining of the flow. Understanding scale-interactions is a crucial ingredient in formulating improved subgrid models for Large Eddy Simulations. In this experimental study, planar Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurements are performed in a water tank, in which high Reynolds number turbulence with very low mean velocity is generated by an array of spinning grids. Planar straining and de-straining are applied by pushing or pulling rectangular piston whose width is equal to that of the a rectangular tank towards and away from the bottom. The velocity of the piston is computer controlled and synchronized with the PIV system. The initial background turbulence, characterized by the distributions of rms values and energy spectra, confirms that that the turbulence is nearly isotropic and homogeneous. The applied straining is characterized using high-speed photography of the piston and by PIV measurements of the mean flow. The results consist of the time evolution of several turbulence parameters subjected to a sequence of straining and destraining motions, with particular emphasis on the Reynolds stresses, Sub-grid scale (SGS) stresses, SGS anisotropy and SGS dissipation. The paper also examines the scale dependence of the SGS stress and dissipation, and compares the energy flux between different scales during the straining and destraining parts of the deformation.


1977 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 659-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Barker ◽  
Steven C. Crow

A new technique for generating a pair of line vortices in the laboratory has been developed. The mean flow of these vortices is highly two-dimensional, although most of the flow field is turbulent. This two-dimensionality permits the study of vortex motions in the absence of the Crow mutual induction instability and other three-dimensional effects. The vortices are generated in a water tank of dimensions 15 × 122 × 244 cm. They propagate vertically and their axes span the 15 cm width of the tank. One wall of the tank is transparent, and the flow is visualized using fluorescein dye. High speed photography is used to study both the transition to turbulence during the vortex formation process and the interaction of the turbulent vortices with a simulated ground plane.Transition occurs first in an annular region surrounding the core of each vortex, starting with a shear-layer instability on the rolled-up vortex sheet. The turbulent region then grows both radially inwards and radially outwards until the entire recirculation cell is turbulent. A ‘relaminarization’ of the vortex core appears to take place somewhat later.The interaction of the vortex pair with the ground plane does not follow the predictions of potential-flow theory for line vortices. Although the total circulation is apparently conserved, the vortices remain at a larger distance from the ground than is expected and eventually ‘rebound’ or move away from the ground. Differences between a free-surface boundary condition and a smooth or rough ground plane are discussed. The ground-plane interaction is qualitatively very similar to that of aircraft trailing vortices observed in recent flight tests.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-129
Author(s):  
Shin’ichi Aratani

High speed photography using the Cranz-Schardin camera was performed to study the crack divergence and divergence angle in thermally tempered glass. A tempered 3.5 mm thick glass plate was used as a specimen. It was shown that two types of bifurcation and branching existed as the crack divergence. The divergence angle was smaller than the value calculated from the principle of optimal design and showed an acute angle.


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