The ammonium nitrate (AN) and fuel oil (FO) mixture known as ANFO is a typical representative of non-ideal explosives. In contrast to ideal explosives, the detonation behavior of ANFO exhibits a strong dependence on charge diameter, existence, and properties of confinement, with a large failure diameter and long distance required to establish steady-state detonation. In this study shock initiation and propagation of detonation in ANFO were studied experimentally by determining the detonation velocity at different distances from the initiation point, as well as by numerical modeling using AUTODYN hydrodynamics code and a Wood–Kirkwood detonation model incorporated into EXPLO5 thermochemical code. The run-to-steady-state detonation velocity distance was determined as a function of charge diameter, booster charge mass, and confinement. It was demonstrated that a Lee–Tarver ignition and growth reactive flow model with properly calibrated rate constants was capable of correctly ascertaining experimentally observed shock initiation behavior and propagation of detonation in ANFO, as well as the effects of charge diameter, booster mass, and confinement.

Theoretical prediction of performance indicators of explosives plays an important role in the development of new explosives and explosive formulations. Of particular interest is the possibility to estimate the velocity of metal liner driven by an explosive charge. We present a theoretical model for estimation of metal cylinder wall velocity profiles of non‐ideal ANFO explosives. The model is based on thermochemical calculations using EXPLO5 code, expressing the Gurney energy in terms of JWL equation of state, and using hydro‐code simulation. The Wood‐Kirkwood detonation theory, incorporated in EXPLO5, is applied for calculation of detonation parameters of non‐ideal ANFO explosives. It was found that this approach enables prediction of cylinder wall velocity for ANFO explosives, with the error at V/V0=7 expansion ratio not exceeding 100 m/s.

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