Investigation of Fundamental Processes and Crystal-Level Defect Structures in Metal-Loaded High-Explosive Materials under Dynamic Thermo-Mechanical Loads and their Relationships to Impact Survivability of Munitions (Thrust 4, Topic J)

Abstract : Theoretical (molecular dynamics) and experimental methods (microscopy and impact measurements) were used to investigate fundamental aspects of the physics and chemistry that determine the behavior of energetic materials in response to weak shock or non-shock insults, with emphasis on stress states and strain rates relevant to penetrator applications. We considered the RDX/Al/HTPB composite AFX-757 as a representative formulation. The theoretical studies were focused shock wave processes in RDX, PETN, nitromethane, and hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene. The experimental focus was AFX-757 composites formulated using three different grades of RDX crystals designated K1, K6, and K7 in the international RDX Round Robin collaboration.