CHARACTERIZING MESOSCALE FEATURES IN PBX 9501 WITH WITNESS PLATES

The effects of geometric features on detonation behavior have been well documented and demonstrated through examples spanning large-scale shaped charges to microscale “hot spots”. While extensive research has characterized interactions at either of these extremes – the macroscale (> 1 mm) and the microscale (< 0.1 μm) – the mesoscale (0.1 μm to 1 mm) remains less understood due to historical difficulties associated with producing and studying mesoscale features. Recent advancements in additive manufacturing have begun to change this by enabling the ability to precisely generate structures with such features, generating significant research interest. Experimental studies are hindered, however, by a dependence on diagnostic techniques that have high equipment costs, significant infrastructure requirements, and rely on sophisticated timing techniques, all of which inhibit progress. This work demonstrates the use of witness plates to characterize mesoscale features in a more cost and time-efficient way, speeding up experimentation while maintaining repeatability. The results reveal that mesoscale features cause unique damage that can be easily interpreted with tests conducted at optimal standoff distances. Non-optimal standoff distances can cause this damage to be obscured by the formation of a large underlying crater or significant surface texturing caused by the bulk explosive.