Structure of detonation waves in pressed 2′,2′,2′-trinitroethyl-4,4,4-trinitrobutyrate

The reaction zones of steady detonation waves in pressed 2′,2′,2′-trinitroethyl-4,4,4-trinitrobutyrate (TNETB) charges with densities within 1.23–1.79 g/cm3 and initial powder dispersities of 5 and 80 μm were studied with the use of a VISAR interferometer. It was demonstrated that the boundaries of the initial density range within which a pressure growth is observed instead of a chemical spike, predicted by the theory, are determined by the HE dispersity. The measured dependence of the detonation velocity on the initial HE density exhibits features suggestive of an underdriven detonation wave without a chemical spike. The peculiarities observed are accounted for by the heterogeneous structure of pressed HEs, the decomposition of which is of hot-spot character, occurring partly in the compression wave front.