Explosive-Driven Cylindrical Imploding Shocks in Solid Initiated with an Exploded Etched Copper Mesh

Abstract

Cylindrically imploding strong shocks have been generated in solid by the simultaneous detonation of cylindrical high explosive PBX shell. At first the outermost etched copper mesh on a film cylinder is exploded using a high voltage impulsive current, initiating low-density PETN shell. The PETN detonation gas blows off a cylindrical thin flyer, which collides with the inner PBX shell initiating its surface. As preliminary studies, the feasibility of newly developed etched copper mesh for the PETN detonation, cylindrical flyer acceleration systems and shock initiation of the PBX were investigated. Observed shadowgraph of imploding shocks in PMMA cylinder (40mmφ dia. ) shows that cylindrical strong shock wave has focused accelerating with a fairly good axisymmetry, and the comparison with numerical results indicates that the actual steady state C-J pressure of the PBX seems to be almost achieved.