An Experimental Investigation of Corner‐Turning Performance in a Large Double Cylinder of Highly‐Insensitive Explosive

When creating ignition and growth models for new explosive formulations, it is crucial to have a complete understanding of transverse detonation growth within the material to accurately predict corner-turning performance in various geometries. This understanding is particularly important when designing a direct replacement for an existing explosive, typically with requirements to maintain function in terms of both initiation and end effects/lethality. While there have been many corner-turning tests developed and successfully utilized over the last 60 years, many of the experimental designs favor traditional explosives that tend to exhibit ideal growth behavior. Many of the traditional corner-turning tests exhibit prohibitive complications when faced with geometric scale-up to accommodate large critical diameters that often accompany insensitive behavior. In an effort to address this shortcoming, the authors propose a corner-turning test that can easily scale to accommodate a wide range of critical diameters and introduces modern diagnostics to provide additional data known to be useful for model development. As a case study for IMX-104, the work herein uses a combination of streaked fiber optics and photonic Doppler velocimetry probes (PDV) to investigate corner turning within a large double cylinder geometry. Additionally, diameter effects on detonation velocity measurements, front wave curvature, and extent of reaction at various PDV probe locations are investigated using the same diagnostics. These experimental results have since been used to improve an IMX-104 ignition and growth model that has been used to support the development of numerous warhead designs - notably the 155 mm family of artillery munitions.