Experimental and Numerical Investigations of Thermal Ignition of a Phase Changing Energetic Material

Fortuitous exposure to high temperatures initiates reaction in energetic materials and possibilities of such event are of great concern in terms of the safe and controlled usage of explosive devices. Experimental and numerical investigations on time to explosion and location of ignition of a phase changing polymer bonded explosive material (80 per cent RDX and 20 per cent binder), contained in a metallic confinement subjected to controlled temperature build-up on its surface, are presented. An experimental setup was developed in which the polymer bonded explosive material filled in a cylindrical confinement was provided with a precise control of surface heating rate. Temperature at various radial locations was monitored till ignition. A computational model for solving two dimensional unsteady heat transfer with phase change and heat generation due to multi-step chemical reaction was developed. This model was implemented using a custom field function in the framework of a finite volume method based standard commercial solver. Numerical study could simulate the transient heat conduction, the melting pattern of the explosive within the charge and also the thermal runaway. Computed values of temperature evolution at various radial locations and the time to ignition were closely agreeing with those measured in experiment. Results are helpful both in predicting the possibility of thermal ignition during accidents as well as for the design of safety systems.