Effects of defects on armatures within helical flux-compression generators

Tubes of aluminum and copper filled with C-4 high-explosive were tested during this study of the effects of explosive flaws and voids, their sizes and locations, and of the effects of armature machining tolerances on the expansion characteristics of armatures within helical flux-compression generators. Flaws and voids were introduced into the explosive fill of 6061-T6 aluminum armatures during assembly. The defects were located along the major axis of the fill, midway between the major axis and the explosive/armature interface, and at the interface. The resulting effects on armature expansion were recorded by high-speed framing camera, intensified charge-coupled display (ICCD) photography and by flash X-ray. Outer and inner surface defects were introduced into OFHC copper and 6061-T6 aluminum armatures via machining. The resulting effects during armature expansion were recorded by framing camera and by ICCD.

I. Introduction

The authors are part of the Explosi yes Research Group located at the Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center (RMERC) of the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). In 1998, the Explosives Research Group, along wi th the Texas Tech University (TTU) Electrical Engineering Department's Pulsed Power Laboratory and researchers from the TTU Mechanical Engineering Department, formed the initial membership of a research consortium whose work has been described elsewhere [1].