A modified initiation and cut profile study of the 10500 grain per foot linear shaped charge

A 10,500 grain per foot (gr/ft.) linear shaped charge (LSC) was developed to cut targets that were too thick for smaller LSC. The manufacturer observed shallower penetration from the 10,500 gr/ft. LSC than was expected. This prompted investigations to uncover the cause of the perceived reduced performance. A study performed at the Missouri University of Science and Technology changed the initiation method of the 10,500 gr/ft. charge to increase the cut performance of the charge. A modified two point, single end initiation method was devised and tested. This initiation method was termed dual initiation and focused on creating a planar detonation wave in the LSC earlier than standard initiation methods. A series of tests cut steel cuboids to gather cut depth information used to define; maximum penetration and the zones of run-up, cut and run-down. Additional analysis of the target data was performed to find the total cut area achieved by the 10,500gr/ft. LSC. A second series of tests used a pipe as a witness plate to determine failure characteristics of the 10,500 gr/ft. liner. The results showed the dual initiation method obtained a deeper maximum penetration and greater overall cut area than standard initiation methods. However, the dual ignition method also increased the undesirable cut zone of run-up. The shrapnel characterization tests exemplified the significance of manufacturing defects on the performance of the dual initiation system. Based on the result it was concluded that dual initiation system improved the overall cut performance of the 10,500gr/ft. LSC --Abstract, page iii