EPNM-2008, Lisse Holland

Defence Research and

Explosive Processing of Materials

Defence,
TNO Prins SafetyLaboratory
Maurits and Security

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Lay-out
• History

• Spin-off & spin-in examples

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 History

• Simon Stevin Dutch scientist (1548)

• Prins Maurits used his skills for

warfare (>1590)

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 History

• Alfred Nobel
• Made explosive safe and useful tool
• Around 1860 in St. Petersburg
explosions on the Neva river; photo
• Patented Dynamite in 1867
• Used metal plates to show the
power of his explosives!

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History

• Mr. R. W. Gurney chemical scientist (sept. 1943 BRL)

• Model to calculate the (final) velocity of bomb shells (fragments)
• For each explosive type a specific (kinetic) energy √(2Eg) is released
• Final velocity of metal (M) depends on E/M-ratio and configuration

• Vf = √(2Eg) [(M/C) + 1/2] –1/2 Cylinder (expanding)

• Vf = √(2Eg) [(M/C) + 1/3] –1/2 Symmetric Sandwich
1
⎛ 3 ⎞ 2
• V p , final ⎜
= 2E ⎜ ⎟
2 ⎟
Explosive layer on plate
⎝ 1 + 5(M C ) + 4(M C ) ⎠

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History Explosive welding/cladding

• Research started around 1950

• USA/Russia

• Patented by DuPont (1960-)

• Coins (1/4 $, due to high sliver price)

• Several production companies world-wide

• Reliable bimetal half-products for several markets like:
• Ship building, Chemical plants, Smelters

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 History

• TNO was founded in 1933 by law

• Work on EPM since 1960

• TNO Metal Institute (van Wely, Verbraak, Boes, Remmerswaal)
• TNO Defence, Safety and Security

• TNO Defence, Safety and Security

• Part of this used to be called the Prins Maurits Laboratory
• Cooperation with Delft University of Technology
• Since 1986 Ph-D students working on explosive compaction of
powders

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 Nowadays wide range of processes
• Metal processing technologies
• Forming
• Cladding/Welding
• Cutting/Perforation
• Hardening
• Engraving
• Stress release (welds)
• Material processing
• Shock treatment of wood
• Cleansing
• Tenderization of meat
• Material synthesis
• Powder compaction
• Self-sustained High-temperature Synthesis (SHS)

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Explosive Compaction of Powders

Room temperature consolidation of powders

Powder in tube: composition is free
(metals, polymers, ceramics and mixtures of
those)

Ceramics show (at RT) residual porosity:

subsequent metal infiltration
B4C (82%) + Al (18%) = BORCAL
TiB2 (85%) + Al (15%) = TIBAL

X-ray flash image of the

explosive compaction process
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Explosive compaction
Control of bulk material properties

Microstructure (amorphous, nano)

Hardness
Strength
Density

Examples
Metal-Ceramics matrix for e.g. tooling
Light weight armor material
Nozzles

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Explosive forming of metals

• Metal sheets and tubes

• Explosive charge as energy
source
• Small charges in water
• Single sided tooling (die)

AA 2024-T3

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Computer simulation of explosive forming

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Explosive Welding and Cladding

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Explosive cladding process (I)
THEORY
• Non-ideal detonation of explosives
• Influence of layer thickness and confinement on detonation
• Explosive plate acceleration
• Gurney relations
• Computer simulations
• Impact phenomena
• Hydrodynamics, shape charges, jetting and shock loading
• Wave formation mechanisms
• Influence of plate thickness, dynamic impact angle (β)
• Intermetallic reactions
• Miedema model, Phase diagrams

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 ⎛ c ⎞
Non-ideal detonation D(L ) = Di • ⎜1 − ⎟
Model: ⎝ L−d ⎠
6 AMPA

5
Detonation velocity [km/sec]

ANDEX 1
4

NOBELITE
3 310

SYTEX 2
2

1 WESTFALIT

0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 Eurodyne
40 2000
Layer thickness [mm]

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Simulation of explosive cladding: jetting

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 Link between jet and wave formation

Cu-jet from interrupted cladding

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Welding Window
Jet: prerequisite for welding
Vp,max Vc,min Vc,max
Vp,min:hydrodynamic behavior

Vp,max: no excessive melting

βmax

β Vp,min
Jet

βmin

Vc
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Wave forming mechanisms

Jet indentation

a. d.

b. e.

Others:
Von Karman array
c. f.
Helmholtz instabilities

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Explosive cladding process (II)
• In process measurements
• Detonation velocity (electrical, fiber optic probe)
• Plate velocity (electrical, optical)
• Ultra-fast photography (Imacon)
• X-ray flash photography

• Interface analysis
• Ultrasonic scans
• Light microscopy
• SEM
• X-ray Diffraction
• Micro-Vickers hardness

Ti6,4 cladding using D= 7.2 km/s

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Collision point and plate velocity measurement
Double slanted wire method (Prummer)
• Simultaneous measurement of collision and detonation
velocities
• One current supply and one oscilloscope needed

-2 V3
resistance wire
h -4 t3
V2
-6

V(V)
a a -8
V1
t2

-10
t1
-12
-60 -40 -20 0 20 40 60 80
time in microseconds

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High-speed camera recordings

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High-speed camera recordings

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Explosive cladding process (III)
• Interface analysis
• Ultrasonic scans
• Light-microscopy
• SEM
• X-ray Diffraction
• Micro-Vickers hardness

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Explosive welding development at TNO
• Spin-off
ITER component development (presentation by M. Stuivinga)
• W-CuCrZr (hot cladding)
• Triangular support (cladding around obstacles)
Mars sample return mission (Poster presentation)
• Biosealing of container parts by:
• Explosive welding
• Foil brazing using SHS heating

• Spin-in
• Anti-spall liner on Ti6,4
• Gun barrel liner
• Dual hardness armor (Explosia-presentation EPNM-2006)

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Spin-off: ITER components
• Triangular support (16 stub-keys)
• Cu (1.5 mm) clad on 60 mm SS316L (IG)

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Computer simulation of detonation
Detonation around a stub-key

10

Stub-key
7

Deff (km/s)
6

2
150 200 250 300 350 400 450
r (mm)

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Spin-off:
Bio-sealing a Mars-sample container

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Spin-in:
Anti-spall liner for Ti6,4 armour plates

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Spin-in:
Anti-erosion liners in gun barrels

Ta-clad Bushmaster barrel after

Standard Bushmaster barrel
600 shots (still serviceable)
375 shots

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Internal or external cladding of tubes
Cu-Ta (0.3 mm)
Ta 0.3 mm

Cu

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Foil cladding; coating technology
• Foil attached to buffer plate
• Same process as cladding thicker plates
• Buffer does not bond (no inclined impact)

Explosive layer Buffer plate

Metal foil
Base

Anvil

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Two-sided Stainless Steel 316 cladding
of a Ti6,4 sheet (2 mm plate thickness)

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Blast measurements
• Blast team (TNO Defense, Safety and Security)
• Mobile equipment for strain, shock and blast measurements
• High speed imaging

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Example of a blast measurement
S6, 123m 270° S7, 273m 270° S8, 506m 266°
S10, 759m 270° S11 1518m 270°

kPa
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
-5
-10
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0
s

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Shape effect of explosive on blast
• Simulation of the blast wave form a Ø 2 m plate of
detonating TNT (0.1 m thick)

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Acoustic measurements
TNO Science and Industry

NPE PE

FCT

z
*
moving grid spectral data

x 15m 300m 1000m

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Blast mitigation
• Relation between blast and noise intensity:
• Sound pressure level (SPL)
• 20 log ( Y Pa/20 µPa)
• If Y = 200 Pa for a blast wave SPL = 140 dB

• Blast mitigation could be used for noise reduction!

• Kill the monster while it is “small”
• TNO Defense, Safety and security core-business!
• Protection of ships (internal explosion)
• Safety of munition storage
• Large blast measuring experience (Australia, Canada, Sweden)
• Mitigation knowledge and techniques developed could
be used for noise-reduction of open air explosions

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Blast mitigation calculations

• Calculation of energy distribution of a TNT sphere (55

kg) in air (left) and TNT for 50% surrounded by 114 kg
water at 300 mm from charge (right)

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Conclusion

• There is an overlap between defence research issues

and explosive processing of materials
• Unique expertise and equipment is available for EPM
research
• There are both examples of spin-in as well as spin-off
from defence research

• Both worlds can learn from each other!

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