Title: Three dimensional hemispherical test development to evaluate detonation wave breakout
Abstract: The Onionskin test has been the standard test to evaluate detonation wave breakout over a hemispherical surface for decades. It has been an effective test used in a variety of applications to qualify main charge materials, evaluate different boosters, and compare different detonators. It is not without its shortfalls however. It only images a small portion of the explosive and requires very precise alignment and camera requirements to make sense of the results. Asymmetry in explosive behavior cannot be pinpointed or evaluated effectively. We have developed a new diagnostic using fiber optics covering the surface of the explosive to yield a 3D representation of the detonation wave behavior. Precise timing mapping of the detonation over the hemispherical surface is generated which can be converted to detonation wave breakout behavior using Huygens' wave reconstruction. This report will include the results of a recent suite of tests on PBX 9501, and discussion of how the test was developed for this explosive and contrasting previous work on PBX 9502. The results of these tests will describe the effects on detonation wave breakout symmetry when Sylgard 184 is placed between the detonator and booster. The effects on symmetry and timing when the Sylgard gap thickness is increased and the detonator is canted will be shown.