Application of Flame Inhibitor in Aerosol-Dispersed Explosive Charges

To address the flame jetting problem occurring during the detonation-driven dispersal of the fuel-air explosive (FAE) mixture by the central dispersion charge in an FAE warhead, this study combines charge structural design with the incorporation of flame suppressants. The selected explosive was pressed passivated RDX, with varying mass fractions of sodium chloride (NaCl) as a suppressant, to form the dispersion charge. A comprehensive experimental investigation was carried out to evaluate the inhibition of high temperature and flame in the post-detonation fireball, as well as the corresponding detonation performance. High-speed video imaging and calibrated infrared thermography were used to capture the temporal and spatial evolution of the explosion fireball, enabling quantification of peak temperature and the duration of elevated temperature. In parallel, an explosive detonation velocity measurement technique employing ionization probes positioned at multiple axial locations along the cylindrical charge was adopted to systematically study the detonation velocity variation at different positions within the charge body after adding different NaCl proportions, and the relevant variation patterns were derived. The experimental results demonstrate a clear monotonic trend: with increasing NaCl content, the detonation velocity, heat of detonation, and fireball temperature all decrease monotonically. In particular, for a fixed total charge mass, when the NaCl content was increased to 10% by weight, the detonation velocity decreased by 4.1%, the heat of detonation dropped by 8.4%, the maximum fireball temperature was reduced by 30.7%, and the duration for which the fireball temperature exceeded 200℃ was shortened by 70.9% compared with the pure RDX baseline. The multi-point detonation velocity measurements further revealed that the detonation wave remained steady along the charge axis, and the velocity reduction was uniform. indicating that NaCl does not disrupt the detonation propagation stability. To validate the practical efficacy, full-scale verification tests were conducted using a FAE mixture integrated with a central dispersion charge containing 5% NaCl. This indicates that adding NaCl as a flame suppressant to the dispersion charge in FAE munitions can effectively prevent flashback during the explosive dispersal of the fuel-air cloud.