An experimental study of the process of shock initiation of detonation in liquid nitromethane sensitized with diethylenetriamine (DETA) was conducted. In particular, the effect of the lateral boundary conditions on the sensitivity of the explosive to shock stimuli was investigated. The explosive was tested in a "gap test" arrangement. Various charge diameters and different materials for the capsule that contained the test explosive were used. The arrival time of the shock front was recorded at different locations along the test charge and the light emitted in the cases where detonation was initiated in the test explosive was monitored. / It is found that the minimum shock strength necessary to initiate detonation in the explosive test mixture is greater if the test charge diameter is small. It is also found that for a given shock strength, the minimum charge radius that permits initiation corresponds to the distance necessary to establish detonation. / In charges with small diameters, interactions between the input shock and the charge capsule walls permit initiation for input shock strengths that would normally not be sufficient to cause initiation. The nature of these interactions is complex and the outcome of a shock initiation experiment cannot be predicted from mere knowledge of the impedance of the capsule material or the shock speed within it.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.33974 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Jette, Francois-Xavier. |
| Contributors | Higgins, Andrew J. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Engineering (Department of Mechanical Engineering.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001873015, proquestno: MQ79077, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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