Beryllium and Cerium Powders as Potential Activators of Aluminum in TBX Compositions

ABSTRACT The possibility of using beryllium or cerium powders as activators of aluminum in the initial stages of a thermobaric explosion was examined both experimentally and theoretically. The compositions, which were compared, comprised 60% RDX, 20% ammonium perchlorate (AP), and 20% metallic additive. The metallic additive used was either Al powder or its mixtures with Be or Ce in a mass ratio of 4:1. For each explosive composition, calorimetric measurements of the heat of detonation were performed under identical conditions. Pressed charges of these explosives with a mass of 500 g were detonated in a bunker of 40 m 3 volume. The detonation velocity was measured, and the overpressure waveforms in these experiments were recorded within 40 ms of detonation. The measured quasi‐static overpressure in the chamber for compositions containing 4% of Be or Ce was approximately 10% higher than that for the reference explosive. The TNT equivalents due to QSP values for these explosives were 1.56 and 1.54, respectively. The TNT equivalents calculated using specific impulses of the blast waves at 2.5 m from the charges with 4% Be or Ce were 1.59 and 1.56, respectively. The values for these charges exceeded the value for charges containing exclusively Al as the metallic fuel by 11%–14%. The significant increases in the values of the parameters mentioned above confirm that beryllium and cerium effectively activate aluminum in the chemical reactions that proceed in both the anaerobic and aerobic stages of the explosion.