Quantic Industries Inc. slapper detonator performance

摘要

Under the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories (LLNL) Small Business Technology Transfer Program, assistance was given to Quantic Industries Inc. to use the High Explosive Applications Facility (HEAF), its apparatus, and LLNL expertise to characterize the performance of Quantic's micro-clad copper/kapton slapper detonator assemblies and establish their threshold to detonate HNS-IV. The project involved measuring the performance of these slapper detonators, otherwise known as Exploding Foil Initiators (EFI's), manufactured by Quantic Industries Inc. Slapper performance was measured by using a laser velocimeter, which is an expensive and specialized facility which Quantic does not own. The authors measured slapper velocity vs. time as a function of charging voltage. Quantic supplied slappers which were coated with (approximately)100 nm of Al to provide a reflective surface for the laser velocimeter measurements. LLNL provided to a capacitor discharge unit (CDU) to fire the slappers and matched the Quantic CDU waveforms as close as possible.