Experimental evaluation of detonation parameters in a single test

Abstract. Experimental determination of detonation phenomena is essentially focused on the measurement of detonation velocity, detonation pressure, detonation front curvature and Gurney energy. Many experimental methods based on electrical, optical, X-ray or magnetic phenomena have been developed, however, some of them need expensive equipment. One non-intrusive and precise method is based on an optical method associated with an electronic streak camera (ESC). This work presents the application of the multi-fiber optical probe (MFOP), which consists of a high spatial and temporal resolution optical method based on an optical fibers ribbon connected to an ESC for the characterization of the detonation process of a small PBX charge. The MFOP is based on 64 optical fibers having a diameter of 250 micro m, and is connected to an ESC without any intermediate optics and allows to record radiation phenomena emitting in the range of 360 - 700 nm. This method was applied to the simultaneous measurement of detonation velocity, detonation pressure field and detonation front curvature in PBX explosive charges. One part of the MFOP is fixed on the charge side to measure the quasi-continuous detonation velocity with a spatial resolution of 250 micro m, and the second part is fixed at the charge's end to acquire the breakout light, recording the detonation front curvature. When a set of polyimide layers (125 micro m of thickness) is mounted between the charge's end and the top of optical fibers, it allows the evaluation of a pressure field induced in the polyimide barrier by the detonation front. The present experimental method allows the meso-scale probing of the 3D reaction zone structure.