Large deformation GNARLYX hydrocode simulations of the drop weight impact experiment

We aim for new perspectives on the complex underlying mechanisms that lead to the onset of chemical reactions in drop weight impact experiments. Large deformation and heat generation in the sample critically depend on the material properties although the exact thermomechanical conditions that lead to a “Go” or “No-Go” are unclear. We consider heat generation by the fast lateral flow of molten explosives in the drop weight impact test. An analytic model for Poiseuille flow in liquid pentaery-thritol tetranitrate (PETN), using a temperature-dependent viscosity and constant thermal conductivity derived from molecular dynamics simulations, shows that flow velocities approximately 100ms−1 give rise to temperatures around 700 K. We show, with LANL GNARLYX compressible hydrodynamic simulations, that Poiseuille flow within a planar geometry using both temperature-dependent viscosity and thermal conductivity yield similar values for the temperature change in liquid PETN at the flow velocities observed experimentally just prior to ignition.