Experimental characterization of emulsion explosives with inert additives

Abstract. Emulsion explosives (EEs) are widely used in the industry, mostly due to their widespread applications, thus continuous progress has been made to characterize EEs and to maximize their potential. Although there is relevant information regarding the impact of energetic additives on high-density EEs, there is a dearth of information on the impact that non-energetic additives have on low-density EEs detonation process. In this work, it was performed an experimental characterization of the detonation velocity and pressure parameters of low-density EEs, using EPS as a non-energetic additive. The concentration of EPS in the EEs varied from 0% up to 4% and, consequently, the EEs density ranged from 1.12 g/cm3 and 0.49 g/cm3. Using a cylindrical charge, coupled with LEDAP standard multi-fibre optical probes, it was possible to achieve a quasi-continuous and simultaneous measurement of the EEs detonation velocities (2970 m/s up to 5580 m/s), and the velocity at which the shock wave propagates through an inert material, which allowed, by applying the impedance matching technique, the determination of the detonation pressure generated by the EEs (3.3 GPa up to 11.7 GPa).