Numerical study of countermeasure against thermal stimuli for HMX-based polymer-bonded explosives

An accurate thermal decomposition model of Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX)-based polymer-bonded explosives is indispensable to the design of countermeasure against environmental thermal stimuli for certain explosive devices. However, the complicated chemical reactions occurring in decomposition of HMX-based polymer-bonded explosives pose great challenge to scientists. In this study, the thermal ignition kinetic model proposed by Tarver is implemented to study thermal decomposition of HMX-based polymer-bonded explosives using commercial software Abaqus, which does not only consider the thermal decomposition of HMX but also the polymer binders. The simulation results are compared to ODTX and Scaled Thermal Explosion Experiment (STEX) and reasonably good agreements are achieved. Then the thermal decomposition model is applied to analyze an explosive device exposed to environmental thermal stimuli. Furthermore, countermeasure against environmental thermal stimuli is suggested and analyzed quantitatively for the explosive device. The time to explosion and environmental temperature before ignition is calculated and analyzed for the explosive device under various heating rates.