Quantitative Characterization of Thermal Damage Evolution of RDX-Based PBX Explosives

doi:10.12382/bgxb.2022.0296

Abstract

Abstract:

The thermal damaged features and evolutionbehaviors of high explosives (HEs) play a crucial roleintheir safety. In this study, micro-scale computerized tomography (Micro-CT)technology and quantitative image analysis were used to systematicallyinvestigatethe mesostructural defects in RDX-based PBXs after thermal damage, including defect geometrical features,quantitative statistics, and formation mechanism. The samples were heated untilreaching the critical ignition temperature. Significant changes in mesostructural morphology of the thermal damaged samples were observed,resulting in typical damage characteristics such asmechanical debonding of RDX particle-binder interfaces,meso-pores formed by thermal decomposition of RDX particles,and channels through interconnection of interfacial debonding. The variation of several key parameters with temperature used to characterize thermal damages were quantitatively analyzed,including porosity,pore size distribution,specific surface area,sphericity, and ubiquitiformal complexity.Through qualitative and quantitative observation of the mesostucture, the thermal damage mode and evolution of RDX-based PBXs with increasing temperature were obtained. This study provides physical basisfor investigating the sensitization mechanism of thermal damage on explosive ignition response and establishing a ubiquitiformal model for the ignition reaction evolution of damaged explosives.

Key words: PBXs, mesostructure, computerized tomography technology, quantitative image analysis, thermal damage mode, thermal damage evolution

XU Liji, DUAN Zhuoping, BAI Zhiling, WU Yanqing, HUANG Fenglei. Quantitative Characterization of Thermal Damage Evolution of RDX-Based PBX Explosives[J]. Acta Armamentarii, 2023, 44(7): 2002-2013.

Figures/Tables 13

Fig.1 DSC/TGA testing results of RDX-based PBX explosives

Fig.2 Illustration of the 3D reconstruction process of CT testing data

Fig.3 Original and processed CT slices of RDX-based PBXs under different thermal treatment temperatures

Fig.4 3D rendering of RDX-based PBXs under different thermal treatment temperatures (gray and blue represent RDX and pores, respectively)

Fig.5 3D rendering of pores in RDX-based PBXs under different thermal treatment temperatures

Fig.6 3D rendering of interconnected pores in RDX-based PBXs under different thermal treatment temperatures

Fig.7 Porosity of RDX-based PBXs under different thermal treatment temperatures

Table 1 Numbers of pores with different sizes under different thermal treatment temperatures

温度/℃	10~10²μm³	10²~10³μm³	10³~10⁴μm³	10⁴~10⁵μm³	10⁵~10⁶μm³	10⁶~10⁷μm³	10⁷~10⁸μm³	10⁸~10⁹μm³	10⁹~10¹⁰μm³
20	2603	1682	8602	4596	732	72	11	0	0
140	13823	4252	1602	2831	897	81	8	1	0
160	6778	5465	3915	2864	476	18	0	0	1
180	172281	100300	16570	3854	653	48	2	0	1

Fig.8 Porosity size distribution of RDX-based PBXs under different thermal treatment temperatures

Table 2 Specific surface area of pores in samples under different thermal treatment temperatures

热处理温度/℃	孔隙表面积/μm²	通孔表面积/μm²	样品体积/ μm³	孔隙比表面积/μm^-1	比值
20	1.72×10⁸	0	2.93×10¹⁰	5.80×10^-3	1.00
140	1.72×10⁸	1.39×10⁶	2.93×10¹⁰	5.87×10^-3	1.01
160	2.79×10⁸	2.10×10⁸	2.93×10¹⁰	9.52×10^-3	1.64
180	3.36×10⁸	1.83×10⁸	2.93 ×10¹⁰	1.15×10^-2	1.98

Fig.9 Pore size vs. calculated sphericity of pores in RDX-based PBXs under different thermal treatment temperatures

Fig.10 Ubiquitiformal complexity of pores in RDX-based PBXs under different thermal treatment temperatures

Fig.11 Mesoscopic morphology of RDX particles at 200 times magnification

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