Calculation of the critical detonation diameter of explosive charges using data on their shock-wave initiation

This paper deals with the further development of the quantitative theory of critical detonation diameter that was earlier proposed by the author. According to this theory, to calculate the critical diameter, it is necessary to know the shock adiabat, detonation velocity, and the generalized kinetic characteristic of decomposition of a high-explosive (HE) charge under shock-wave compression. It is suggested that the generalized kinetic characteristic of decomposition of a HE can be found from an experimental dependence of the shock-wave amplitude on the distance the shock wave travels during shock-wave initiation of the HE charge. This approach allows one to calculate the critical detonation diameters of HE charges with sufficient accuracy. __________ Translated from Fizika Goreniya i Vzryva, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 112–115, March–April, 2006.