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Experimental study and numerical simulation of the afterburning of TNT by underwater explosion method

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Abstract

We studied the afterburning of TNT in an open space, underwater test. A double-layer container (DLC) was used to enhance the afterburning effect of an underoxidized explosive. The explosive charge was in the inner container, and the outer container was filled with different gases (air, oxygen and nitrogen). After initiation, the DLC cracks and allows the detonation products to mix with the surrounding gas in the outer container. The afterburning energy was calculated from the data of a pressure transducer. Results show that pressure and impulse histories for tests with oxygen and air are greater than those recorded with nitrogen; the afterburning energy increases with higher concentration of oxygen, but does not reach the theoretically maximum value with an excess oxygen required to combust all the products. Finally, two-dimensional numerical simulations were performed using the Jones–Wilkins–Lee (JWL) equation of state (EOS) with a Miller extension. Computed pressure histories were in good agreement with measured pressure histories for all cases studied.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Basic Products Innovation Project of Defense Industrial Technology Development Program of China and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions. We wish to thank Prof. Ronghai Liu, Prof. Jinhua Peng and Dr. Guoning Rao et. al. for their valuable advice and assistant in carrying out the experimental work.

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  1. School of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, Jiangsu, China

    W. Cao, Z. He & W. Chen

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  1. W. Cao
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  2. Z. He
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  3. W. Chen
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Correspondence to W. Cao.

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Communicated by C. Needham.

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Cao, W., He, Z. & Chen, W. Experimental study and numerical simulation of the afterburning of TNT by underwater explosion method. Shock Waves 24, 619–624 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-014-0527-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-014-0527-2

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