Effect of aluminum particle size on the high strain rate properties of pressed aluminized explosives

High strain rate mechanical properties of explosives are important since these materials see extreme loading environments. Previous studies have shown that decreasing the particle size of the explosive crystals in a polymer bonded explosive (PBX) can increase the strength. In this study, pressed explosives were prepared with varying aluminum particle size (from 50 nm to 30+ mu m), particle shape (flake or spherical), and volume fraction in order to investigate the effect of aluminum particle size and morphology on the compressive stress-strain behavior of the material. The paper presents the results of high strain rate measurements, utilizing a split Hopkinson pressure bar, on the range of PBX formulations.