Detonation characteristics of diluted liquid explosives: Mixtures of nitromethane with methanol

Detonation in mixtures of nitromethane with methanol as an inert (nonexplosive) diluent is studied. Ignition experiments with mixtures in steel tubes of various diameters provided information on the effect of the degree of dilution on detonability. Mass velocity profiles with a chemical spike characteristic of detonation waves were recorded at the unsteady detonation front in all mixtures studied. This made it possible to distinguish the Chapman–Jouguet state and obtain a fairly complete set of detonation parameters. The dependence of the pressure in the detonation products on the methanol concentration is determined, which is required, in particular, to find the true (absolute) limit of detonation propagation for the concentration of diluted liquid explosives using the method proposed and validated by A. N. Dremin. Some results were found to be inconsistent with one-dimensional detonation theory.