Detonation in TATB Hemispheres

Streak camera breakout and Fabry‐Perot interferometer data have been taken on the outer surface of 1.80 g/cm3 TATB hemispherical boosters initiated by slapper detonators at three temperatures. The slapper causes breakout to occur at 54° at ambient temperatures and 42° at −54 °C, where the axis of rotation is 0°. The Fabry velocities may be associated with pressures, and these decrease for large timing delays in breakout seen at the colder temperatures. At room temperature, the Fabry pressures appear constant at all angles. Both fresh and decade‐old explosive are tested and no difference is seen. The problem has been modeled with reactive flow. Adjustment of the JWL for temperature makes little difference, but cooling to −54 °C decreases the rate constant by 1/6th. The problem was run both at constant density and with density differences using two different codes. The ambient code results show that a density difference is probably present, but it cannot be quantified.