Experimental and numerical investigation on nonideal detonation of aluminized emulsion explosives

Emulsion explosives exhibit a strong nonideal detonation behavior. Their blast performance is commonly enhanced by inserting additives, such as aluminum powders. To investigate the nonideal detonation properties of aluminized emulsion explosives, a series of tests are conducted for emulsion explosives with 5% of an aluminum powder additive using mortar confinement. The velocity of detonation and the profile of the detonation front for charges of different diameters are measured. Then, the ignition and growth (I and G) model is employed to numerically investigate the detonation properties of aluminized emulsion explosives based on experimental results. A procedure combining the optimization LS-OPT code with the LS-DYNA hydrocode is first developed to calibrate the parameters of the I and G model. Then, the detonation pressure and temperature of charges of different diameters are predicted using the calibrated parameters. The results are in line with the existing literature data.