An inverse analysis for contact conductance at the charge/mold interface during pressurized loading of melt-cast explosives

The basic safety requirement for explosive charges is their charge quality. Increasing the casting pressure can significantly reduce the solidification/cooling time and improve the charge quality of melt-cast explosives, but the mechanism underlying the former reduction is yet to be revealed. This study uses a simplified formulation of inverse analysis (namely, the conjugate gradient method with an adjoint equation) to estimate the contact conductance at the charge/mold interface with the help of experimentally determined temperatures. The method is described in detail and verified by comparing the estimated contact conductance with the exact value using simulated measurement temperatures, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the method. Combining this method with the experimentally determined temperatures, the mechanism underlying the reduction in the solidification/cooling time with the increase in casting pressure is revealed.