Semi‐Closed Investigations of New Aluminized Thermobaric and Enhanced Blast Composites

The investigations of new aluminum‐enriched RDX‐based composites belonging to the thermobaric and enhanced blast explosive formulations were undertaken. In a semi‐closed bunker, the blast wave and the thermal characteristics of pressed and layered charges made from the composites are determined. The study includes the blast wave history registrations as well as the determination of the overpressure peaks and the specific impulses of the incident blast wave. The total impulses have been estimated for a period of 60 ms. Since the composites are supposed to be volumetric, the explosion light outputs and the fireball temperatures were also investigated. The results obtained for the composite charges were compared with the blast performances and fireball temperatures of TNT and phlegmatized RDX charges of the same mass. Also differences between the pressed and the layered composite charges prepared from the same composites were observed and explained. The effect of the aluminum particle size was checked. Discussion of the results and conclusions about the aluminum combustions during the explosions of such charges were presented.