interesting, i'm curious if 1kg is kinda the sweet spot for a #8 to have enough brisance to produce a HOD or if using lets say 10kg or more if the burn rate would drop below 19,000fps so that the rest explodes instead of detonates
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ada491715
---The most valuable research available is a comprehensive 1988 Canadian study which examined the results of seven independent tests (Appendix G). The research documents test results compiled from separate studies by six European countries and the United States. The most relevant of these is a Finish study that performed cap sensitivity tests involving both single and double-based propellants. The test was performed by placing one kilogram of propellant into a plastic bag and suspending it one meter above the ground. A detonator was placed in the center of the bag and initiated. The test results indicated 16 of the 32 powders tested detonated when initiated with a number 8 commercial detonator. Overall the Canadian study makes several important conclusions:
• Most propellants will detonate when suitably initiated by an explosive source.
• Propellants have a critical diameter and an ideal diameter as in the case of all explosives materials.
• The larger the quantity of smokeless propellants the greater the possibility for a high TNT equivalence."
The study consists of a series of tests shots using near identical charges and initiators. The test charge consists of a thin walled plastic bag filled with the sample propellant (Appendix H). Alliant Powder Bullseye brand double- base smokeless powder is the propellant test charge (Appendix I). The completed charge is placed atop a steel witness plate affixed with instrumentation to measure the velocity of detonation (Appendix J). An ICI aluminum shelled #8 electrical detonator is used to initiate each test shot. A photograph of a test charge prior to firing is shown in Appendix K. The test shots were fired sequentially and data was collected and documented. The O.R.A test report describes the data collection method and summarizes the tests results (Appendix L).
The test results document the occurrence of detonation in each of the four test shots. The highest velocity of detonation (VOD) was recorded at 25,641 fps and the lowest at 19,048 fps. The average VOD of all tests was measured at 21,282 fps. This is especially significant when compared to the known VOD of common high explosives and their TNT equivalency---
I am not proposing that smokeless powder's classification be changed from a propellant to an explosive. I am just identifying that smokeless powder can achieve high order detonation.
interesting, i'm curious if 1kg is kinda the sweet spot for a #8 to have enough brisance to produce a HOD or if using lets say 10kg or more if the burn rate would drop below 19,000fps so that the rest explodes instead of detonates