A numerical investigation of transient detonation in granulated material

A two-phase model based upon principles of continuum mixture theory is numerically solved to predict the evolution of detonation in a granulated reactive material. Shock to detonation transition (SDT) is considered whereby combustion is initiated due to compression of the material by a moving piston. In particular, this study demonstrates the existence of a SDT event which gives rise to a steady two-phase Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) detonation structure consisting of a single lead shock in the gas and an unshocked solid; this structure has previously been independently predicted by a steady-state theory. The unsteady model equations, which constitute a non-strictly hyperbolic system, are numerically solved using a modern high-resolution method. The numerical method is based on Godunov's method, and utilizes an approximate solution for the two-phase Riemann problem. Comparisons are made between numerical predictions and known theoretical results for 1) an inert two-phase shock tube problem, 2) an inert compaction wave structure, and 3) a reactive two-phase detonation structure; in all cases, good agreement exists. Received 4 August 1995 / Accepted 17 February 1996