Time-resolved temperatures of shocked and detonating energetic materials

Chemical processes occurring in shock-compressed and detonating high explosives have been studied using fast time-resolved emission spectroscopy and a two-stage gas-gun. The spectral characteristics of emission from shock-compressed nitromethane, tetranitromethane and single crystals of pentaerythritol tetranitrate are typically very broad and structureless, likely representing thermal emission. Assuming the thermal emission from a gray-body, the emission intensity can be correlated to the temperature changes in shock-compressed and detonating high explosives. The authors report Chapman-Jouguet temperatures of 3,800 K for nitromethane, 2,950 K for tetranitromethane, and 4,100 K for pentaerythritol tetranitrate. In this paper the authors also compare the data with the chemical equilibrium models