Effect of preliminary mechanical damage and porosity of explosive on the initiation conditions and explosion parameters in low-velocity impact

This paper presents the results of experimental studies of the effect of damage and initial porosity of desensitized HMX samples on the limiting initiation conditions and explosion parameters under impact of steel spherical projectiles weighing 2–100 g. It is shown that preliminary mechanical damage to the explosive samples, as well as reduction in the initial density, leads to a qualitatively similar result – an increase in the limiting impactor velocity, causing initiation of the explosive transformation. The damage structure of the samples in the absence of initiation and the dependence of the physical and mechanical properties of samples on their density are studied.