Viscous shear flow and heating of impact-extruded composite energetic materials

Investigating the macroscopic deformation and localized heating behaviors of high-ductility composite energetic material (CEM) under impact extrusion is crucial to understand the accidental ignition phenomenon of CEM charged weapon systems with structural defects and design the advanced safe munitions. In this study, the rapid viscous shear flow and ignition responses of impact-extruded CEM are first experimentally studied and then simulated using a physically based thermomechanical model. The experimental results show that CEM sample impacted by a 6 kg and ∼2 m/s falling drop-weight could be extruded into the narrow crack with a high flow speed (∼20 m/s) and ignited. A thermomechanical model is developed to describe the continuum viscoelastic-plastic deformation and localized heating due to viscoplastic deformation in solid material, viscous flow in melted liquid and chemical reaction. By simulation, a semicircular extrusion region with a shear concentration is formed in CEM sample above the crack, and high shear stress and strain rate at this region contributes to the localized viscous shear heating and ignition of CEM. The effects of the diameter ratio between crack and sample (0.1∼0.4) on dynamic responses of CEM are further investigated. The simulated main features of CEM sample, including flow history into the crack, ignition time and location, are consistent with the experimental observations.