Sympathetic Detonation Wave Attenuation Using Polyurethane Foam

The unintentional initiation of munitions during production, storage, transportation, and handling is among the main sources of explosive hazard. Such unintentional initiation of explosives is termed sympathetic detonation, in which the detonation of a single explosive unit (or warhead) triggers the detonation of another, and subsequently starts a chain reaction. Because of this, the demand for resilient lightweight ammunition-separation systems within shipping or storage containers is increasing. This paper presents the development and testing of a cost-effective lightweight rigid polyurethane foam (RPF) separation system. The scaled gap test approach discussed is used as a practical tool to investigate the initiability of acceptor explosive charges by a blast wave generated from donor charges through the RPF as a blast wave attenuation medium. Different RPF specimens were prepared with different densities and silt particle mix ratios ranging from 0% (no silt) to 30%. The study results demonstrate the capability of the RPF as a lightweight cost-effective technique to attenuate the blast wave effects on acceptor explosives to safe levels.