Chemistry of Detonations. I. A Simple Method for Calculating Detonation Properties of C–H–N–O Explosives

Detonation pressures of C–H–N–O explosives at initial densities above 1.0 g/cc may be calculated by means of the simple empirical equation P = Kρ02φ, K = 15.58, φ = NM1 / 2Q1 / 2, detonation velocities by the equation D = Aφ1 / 2(1 + Bρ0), A = 1.01, B = 1.30. N is the number of moles of gaseous detonation products per gram of explosive, M is the average weight of these gases, Q is the chemical energy of the detonation reaction ( − ΔH0per gram), and ρ0 is the initial density. Values of N, M, and Q may be estimated from the H2O–CO2 arbitrary decomposition assumption, so that the calculations require no other imput information than the explosive's elemental composition, heat of formation, and loading density. Detonation pressures derived in this manner correspond quite closely to values predicted by a computer code known as RUBY, which employs the most recent parameters and covolume factors with the Kistiakowsky-Wilson equation of state.