Blast performance of layered charges enveloped by aluminum powder/rubber composites in confined spaces

Abstract A layered charge composed of the JH-2 explosive enveloped by a thick-walled cylindrical casing (active aluminum/rubber and inert lithium fluoride/rubber composites) was designed and explosion experiments were conducted in a 1.3 m3 tank and a 113 m3 bunker. The blast parameters, including the quasistatic pressure (ΔpQS), special impulse (I), and peak overpressure (Δpmax), and images of the explosion process were recorded, and the influence of the Al content (30% and 50%) and Al particle size (1, 10, and 50 μm) on the energy release of aluminum/rubber composites were investigated. The results revealed that the use of an active layer increased the peak overpressure generated by the primary blast wave, as well as the quasistatic pressure and special impulse related to fuel burning within tens of milliseconds after detonation. When the Al content was increased from 30% to 50%, the increases of ΔpQS and I were not obvious, and Δpmax even decreased, possibly because of decreased combustion efficiency and greater absorption of the blast wave energy for layers with 50% Al. Compared with the pure JH-2 charge, the charge with 1 μm Al particles produced the highest Δpmax, indicating that better transient blast performance was generated by smaller Al particles. However, the charge with 10 μm Al particles showed the largest ΔpQS and I, suggesting that a stronger destructive effect occurred over a longer duration for charges that contained moderate 10 μm Al.