Hot Surfaces in Heterogeneous Explosives Initiated by a Shock Wave

A model for the macrokinetics of chemical reactions in detonating heterogeneous explosives is proposed based on the assumption that not only point but also surface microcenters (hot surfaces) are formed under the action of an initiating shock wave. The occurrence of surface hotspots can be cause by a local rise in temperature near microcracks and on grain boundaries. The model is tested by measuring pressure profiles during detonation initiation in a TATB based explosive composition.