Detonation Analysis by using the Solid-State-Streak-Camera S3C-1

Visualization of detonation front curvature with Nanosecond temporal resolution

The chemical reaction inside a homogeneous explosive agent can be initiated at a small spot and will then propagate spherically from this spot. The propagation can be observed as optical emission at the interface between the explosive and the air. Measurement along only one line is sufficient, but must be recorded with high temporal resolution in the nanosecond range to capture fast reactions. The spherical propagation leads to the curvature of the detonation front. The emission is expected to start in the center of the line and then propagate symmetrically along the line toward the edges. The analysis of this curvature allows the determination of the dynamic processes inside the explosive.

Instead of using a conventional tube-based streak camera, the solid state streak camera S3C-1 is used. The propagation of the optical emission is completed within 2 µs and the S3C-1 allows to capture this with 10 ns temporal resolution. A post trigger feature of the S3C-1 is used to capture the emission without being affected by the strong jitter of the detonator. An application note describes the setup and experimental details. It is available on request from Optronis.