Detonation velocity, detonation pressure, and detonation heat are usually used as a measure of explosive's performance. However, they do not answer the question how fast an explosive can accelerate the surrounding metal liner. A semi‐empirical solution to this problem was proposed by R. W. Gurney in 1943. In this paper we used thermochemical calculations to calculate energy of detonation products along the expansion isentrope and to estimate the Gurney energy and cylinder wall velocity from it. It was found that for the same degree of the products expansion, experimentally determined Gurney energy is systematically less than calculated detonation energy due to the energy losses. At about threefold expansion of the products, the detonation energy matches very well with an experimental Gurney energy.

Shaped charges are widely used in many different fields. The two main users of shaped charges are the military, where shaped charges are used as a weapon against armoured targets, and the oil industry, to perforate wells. Very often, shaped charges are the subject of scientific research focused on optimising shaped charge parameters and increasing the efficiency of shaped charges. Considering a significant number of parameters affecting the penetration depth, the optimization of shaped charge parameters is a complex process. This paper describes research on the efficiency of small handmade shaped charges. In this research, two methods are used, the first one involves simulations with numerical software and the second one is site testing. AUTODYN software was used for the numerical simulations. One of the simulations was focused on the shape and velocity of the shaped charge jet and the second on the penetration of the jet into the target material. On-site efficiency of shaped charges at different standoff distances was tested. The experimental result was compared with the AUTODYN simulation result for hand-made shaped charges placed at a distance of 90 mm from the target material. The results of the simulations agree very well with the results of the site tests. Some advantages and disadvantages of each approach are also observed.

ANFO is the most common explosive for civil use in the fields of mining and civil engineering. Some properties of ANFO, like poor water resistance, low density and low velocity of detonation can be improved by mixing ANFO with a certain percentage of an emulsion. These explosives are called Heavy ANFO blends. This paper presents a study of the influence of a primer on the velocity of detonation of ANFO and Heavy ANFO blends. Three types of primers were used for the initiation of the explosives and the velocity of detonation was measured in situ by a continuous method. Based on the results of these measurements, the relationship between the detonation velocity of the primer used and the detonation velocity of the primed explosive were established.

The detonation properties of nonideal explosives are highly dependent on charge diameter and existence and properties of confinement. In this study, the effect of different confinements on the detonation velocity of ANFO explosives was experimentally determined along with the results of the plate dent test. ANFO explosive was selected as one of the most commonly used nonideal explosives. Following the measurement results, we found that the detonation velocity increased with increasing wall thickness, and the velocity increase was different for different confinement materials. A strong correlation existed between the ratio of the mass of confiner and explosive (M/C) and the detonation velocity (R = 0.995), and between (M/C) and the depth of the dent (δ) (R = 0.975). The data presented in this paper represent preliminary findings in developing a confinement model required for reliable numerical modeling of nonideal explosives.

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.