A New Experimental Technique for Studying the Explosive Comminution of Liquids,

摘要

Persistent and non-persistent liquid chemical warfare agents are typically delivered to the target as a consolidated mass which is then disseminated by some energetic mechanism to form an initial cloud whose dimensions are large compared with those of the delivery container. Agent persistency is a function of volatility but,regardless of volatility,the effectiveness of dissemination is controlled by the particle size distribution initially formed. With non-persistent agents,the initial particle size distribution controls the mass rate of evaporation and thus the rate of formation and maintenance of the vapor cloud. In the case of persistent agents,the particle size distribution controls the subsequent atmospheric dispersion and fallout mechanisms. Further,casualty production mechanisms are usually functions of particle size as well. Particle size control is,therefore, a primary knowledge requirement for the vulnerability analyst. An innovative chamber test technique employing a unique reuseable high explosive projector and a three dimensional array of impaction samplers developed to study explosive dissemination in the 0-1second time frame aided the study of previously unobserved behavior of volatile liquids. Efforts to explain the liquid comminution mechanisms in terms of known physical properties have so far been unsuccessful. Further experimentation with this technique is highly warranted and may lead to a clearer understanding of the physical mechanisms and the physical properties controlling explosive communition of liquids.