an optical system has been redesigned and used to measure detonation velocity as a function of condensed explosive density for rdx, hmx, petn. these measurements are then used to determine and fine tune parameters appearing in the bkw (beker-kistiakowsky-wilson) equation of state for gases at extremely high pressures. steady state form of conservation equations along with the bkw state equation...

A discontinuous Galerkin algorithm for the simulation of realistic detonation and supersonic combustion systems is developed. This algorithm enables to consider complex and temperature/mixture-dependent thermodynamic transport properties, detailed and stiff reaction chemistry, and the robust shock-capturing. In order to evaluate all relevant algorithmic aspects, the DG-method is applied to a se...

Tetrahedrane is most strained and the smallest cage compound. It attracts organic chemists because ofits unusual bonding nature and highly symmetrical structure. However, many efforts to isolate theparent tetrahedrane have been unsuccessful because of the high reactivity and very short lifetimecaused by the strain in this molecule. Modeling of molecules for determination of structuralproperties...

An auto-ignition detonation phenomenon can be initiated by a wedge confined in a channel. A new, self-sustaining, normal detonation wave engine concept is proposed. The detonation processes were numerically modeled with a simplified two-dimensional wedged channel flow that was deemed to emulate a real three-dimensional configuration. The results showed that within certain ranges of incoming flo...

Anisotropy effects for spin avalanches in crystals of nanomagnets are studied theoretically with the external magnetic field applied at an arbitrary angle to the easy axis. Starting with the Hamiltonian for a single nanomagnet in the crystal, two essential quantities characterizing spin avalanches are calculated: the activation and Zeeman energies. The calculation is performed numerically for a...

Research carried out from 2003-2005 at the Explosion Dynamics Laboratories at Caltech under an ONR contract has examined many issues critical to Pulse Detonation Engine (PDE) development. These include: detonation structure imaging using OH PLIF; a narrow channel facility for examining regular and irregular detonations; detonation diffraction; mechanism of soot track generation; fundamental and...

The propagation of detonations through several fuel-air mixtures with spatially varying fuel concentrations is examined numerically. The detonations propagate through two-dimensional channels, inside of which the gradient of mixture composition is oriented normal to the direction of propagation. The simulations are performed using a two-component, single-step reaction model calibrated so that o...

Several test cases are presented in this section to demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the Euler code used for simulations of cellular detonations. These test cases are logically divided in two groups: the first one deals with nonreacting flows of perfect gas and the second one with reacting flows, for which the thermochemical model used is the same as in detonation simulations. Each te...

Accidental internal detonation waves are a common threat to the pipeline systems of petrochemical or nuclear fuel processing plants. In order to quantify the failure potential of piping structures, especially at bends, accurate detonation pressure histories are required [5]. Since detonations inhibit multi-dimensional wave structures with triple points of enhanced chemical reaction, one-dimensi...