Numerical and experimental study on the response characteristics of warhead in the fast cook-off process

Abstract

The response characteristics of the warhead under thermal stimuli conditions are important to the safety improvement. The goal of this study is to obtain data on the warhead in the fast cook-off process. In this paper, a numerical calculation method is proposed, whose reliability is supported by comparison with experimental results. Through the numerical calculation, the temperature distribution, temperature change, and ignition time are acquired. The numerical results show that the ignition time is 76 s after the warhead started to burn and that the maximum temperature of the explosive’s outer surface is 238.3 °C at the ignition time. The fast cook-off experiment of the warhead is implemented so as to get the flame temperature and reaction grades that are not available through numerical calculation. The experimental results show that the overpressure fails to reach the preset minimum value which is equivalent to 6 kg of TNT and that the reaction grade is deflagration. The research results have reference value for the design of the warhead and the reduction of detonation risks.

Keywords

• Warhead
• Explosives
• Fast cook-off
• Numerical calculations