Effects of the aluminum content on the shock wave pressure and the acceleration ability of RDX-based aluminized explosives

To better understand the influence of the aluminum content on the performance of aluminized explosives, experiments in concrete and cylinder tests were performed. Three types of RDX-based aluminized explosives, in which the mass ratio of aluminum content was 0%, 15%, and 30% were considered in this paper. The shock wave pressures of the aluminized explosives in the affected concrete bodies were measured using manganin pressure sensors. The acceleration ability was obtained using a high-speed camera and a rotating mirror streak camera. The peak pressure attenuation characteristics of the explosives with various aluminum contents indicated that a higher aluminum content is associated with a slower peak pressure attenuation of the shock wave. In addition, the results of the cylinder tests and the metal-rod acceleration tests revealed the influence of the aluminum content on the acceleration ability of explosives in three different time periods. The test data presented in this paper verified the relationship between the aluminum content and explosive performance, which is of great significance for optimizing the properties of aluminized explosives.