Shock initiation of 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine (TNAZ)

The shock sensitivity of the pressed solid explosive 1,3,3-trinitroazetidine (TNAZ) was determined using the embedded manganin pressure gauge technique. At an initial pressure of 1.3 GPa, pressure buildup (exothermic reaction) was observed after ten {mu}s. At 2 GPa, TNAZ reacted rapidly and transitioned to detonation in approximately 13 mm. At 3.6 GPa, detonation occurred in less than 6 mm of shock propagation. Thus, pure TNAZ is more shock sensitive than HMX-based explosives but less shock sensitive than PETN-based explosives. The shocked TNAZ exhibited little reaction directly behind the shock front, followed by an extremely rapid reaction. This reaction caused both a detonation wave and a retonation wave in the partially decomposed TNAZ. An Ignition and Growth reactive model for TNAZ was developed to help understand this complex initiation phenomenon