Impact Safety Improvement of High Explosives Through the Use of Internal Cavity Design

Abstract

This study offers improved safety design guidelines for high explosives (HE), creating impact insensitive geometries, capitalising on the potential for additive layer manufacturing techniques. There are numerous safety concerns when considering energetic materials and HEs, the primary concern, subject of this work, is the risk of unplanned detonation from impact. There are multiple potential causes for unplanned detonation due to impact; one of which is the impact from a high‐speed foreign object. Despite this substantial risk, the problem has not been publicly addressed by means of adjusting the design of the charge itself. Therefore, investigations into the internal design of the charge were executed, whereby the inclusion of various sized and shaped voids are assessed, to establish their effect upon the reactivity of the HE. Using computational modelling, allows for numerous designs to be assessed and developed, and the impact sensitivity of the charge to be tested across a range of scenarios. The proposed validated computational model enables designs to be optimised in a safe and efficient manner, reducing the number of physical tests required, and thus minimising time, cost and the environmental impact.