Application of Probability Theory to Explosive‐Ignition Phenomena

The problem of explosive ignition concerns itself both with the probability of occurrence of local energy fluctuations and with the transition of these disturbances into a combustion or detonation wave. The former concept does not appear to have been comprehensively discussed; a treatment of this process is presented here for the case of fluctuations due to frictional forces.The theory is applied to several cases of impact ignition, both with and without grit particles and it is found to be in good agreement with experiment. Information is obtained through application of the theory concerning the nature and location of the local disturbances responsible for ignition.