A Robust and Cost-Effective Method of Measuring Velocity of Detonation.

Velocity of Detonation (VOD) is an important measurement utilized in the testing and development of energetic materials. The VOD can be used to make relative comparisons of performance, extract information necessary for equations of state calculations, and determine failure, steady-state, and overdriven shock propagation. Although the VOD is a typical measurement that is taken during the high explosive development process, current methods typically involve a considerable amount of preparation at the expense of time, reproducibility, and skilled labor. We will discuss the recent development of a flexible printed circuit board (flex PCB) that utilizes existing ionization pin mixer equipment. The flex PCB is rapidly implemented and is highly tunable to suite the experimenter’s need. The data obtained from this method shows no penalty in the quality of data versus previously used methods.