OPTIMEX: Detonation pressure measurement using stacked PTFE sheets

Abstract. One of the methods for detonation pressure determination is based on the measurement of shock velocity in an inert material attached to the front surface of a cylindrical explosive charge. In this work, a stack of polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) sheets was used as the inert material that produced light flashes on shock passage through each gap between sheets. The light signals were recorded by an axially placed plastic optical fiber and the OPTIMEX-8 passive light acquisition system. Limitations and reproducibility of this technique were investigated by testing nitromethane, a well characterized explosive, in explosive charges of 5 and 8 mm diameter with length to diameter ratio from 1 to 6. The measured results were validated by comparison with reference data previously obtained using impedance window and flyer plate tests.