On the Existence of Pathological Detonation Waves

Pathological detonation waves with velocities greater than Chapman-Jouguet (C-J) have been proposed theoretically but never observed experimentally in gaseous, liquid or solid explosives. Two types of pathological chemical reaction zones have been identified within the Zeldovich-von Neumann-Doring (ZND) model: an exothermic chemical decomposition with a mole decrease during from the von Neumann spike state to the C-J state and an exothermic reaction followed by an endothermic reaction (eigenvalue detonation). The high temperatures reached in detonation reaction zones cause sufficient radial and atom formation to insure overall mole increases in gaseous H{sub 2} + O{sub 2} detonations. Aluminized explosives exhibit a slight mole decrease when the solid aluminum particles are oxidized, but this does not negate the large mole increase that occurs during explosive decomposition. Porous solid explosives whose products form with more cold compression energy than that of the solid are an unlikely possibility for pathological detonation. Eigenvalue detonations have been postulated for H{sub 2} + Cl{sub 2} gas phase detonations and for plastic bonded solid explosives if endothermic binder decomposition follows exothermic explosive decomposition. Chemical kinetic and physical arguments are presented to eliminate these possible pathological detonations. In the case of H{sub 2} + Cl{sub 2}, highly vibrationally excited HCl molecules dissociate Cl{sub 2} molecules during the exothermic portion of the reaction zone rather than later in the flow process. In the plastic bonded explosives, the binders are located on the surfaces of explosive particles and thus are exposed to ''hot spots'' created by the three-dimensional Mach stem shock front. Any remaining binder material rapidly reacts in collisions with the high, vibrationally excited reaction products formed during explosive decomposition. Therefore eigenvalue detonations are extremely unlikely to occur in gaseous, liquid or solid explosives.