A General Model for the Shock Initiation of Explosives

A general model for the shock initiation of explosive reaction in chemical explosives is proposed. The model is based on the concepts of: (1) the kinetics of decomposition in which ions and free radicals produced by the shock wave shear forces initiate chain reactions that contribute to and accelerate the decomposition produced by the thermally activated molecules; (2) the formation of statistically random reaction sites whose number in a specific explosive is a direct function of the shock pressure as the shock transits the explosive; and (3) a critical- energy-fluence requirement for initiation. This model appears to apply to explosive reaction in gases, liquids, and solids.

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