Characteristics of the underwater explosion of a nonideally detonating aluminum-rich energetic material

An experimental study of the characteristics of the explosion of mixtures of ammonium perchlorate, aluminum, and nitromethane with a large excess of aluminum (1.45 to 1.66 g/cm³ in density) confined in plastic enclosures and immersed in small elastic-wall reservoirs with water is conducted. It is shown that composite charges, 20 mm in diameter, surrounded by a water layer of thickness 20–30 cm and detonate in a nonideal detonation mode. High-speed cinematography records show the possibility of the intense mixing of the detonation products with the surrounding water and of the burning of excess aluminum particles in a heterogeneous cloud. The time scales of the development of secondary energy release by burning of aluminum particles in water are estimated. The possibility of controlling the characteristics of the pressure waves generated by the explosion, for example, by means of a preliminary bubbling of the water with air near the charge, is demonstrated.