Metal Foams: A Design Guide

168 Metal Foams: A Design Guide
Table 11.4 Energy density and TNT equivalents of explosives
Explosive Mass specific TNT equivalent
energy ⊲Qx/QTNT⊳
Qx (KJ/kg)
Amatol 80/20 (80% ammonium nitrate,
20% TNT) 2650 0.586
Compound B (60% RDX, 40% TNT) 5190 1.148
RDX (Cyclonite) 5360 1.185
HMX 5680 1.256
Lead azide 1540 0.340
Mercury fulminate 1790 0.395
Nitroglycerine (liquid) 6700 1.481
PETN 5800 1.282
Pentolite 50/50 (50% PETN, 50% TNT) 5110 1.129
Tetryl 4520 1.000
TNT 4520 1.000
Torpex (42% RDX, 40% TNT, 18%
aluminum) 7540 1.667
Blasting gelatin (91% nitroglycerine, 7.9%
nitrocellulose, 0.9% antacid, 0.2% water) 4520 1.000
60% Nitroglycerine dynamite 2710 0.600
the impulse, Ji, imparts a momentum, Mi, to a unit area of the face plate where
Mi D bbv D Ji ⊲11.31⊳
and thereby accelerates the plate to a velocity v. At this point it has a kinetic
energy
Ui D 1
2 bbv 2 D J2 i
2 bb
⊲11.32⊳
and it is this that the energy absorber must dissipate. Note that the thicker and
heavier the buffer plate, the lower is the kinetic energy that the absorber must
dissipate.
The selection of a metal foam as an energy absorber follows the method of
Section 11.2. It is necessary to absorb Ui per unit area at a plateau stress pl
which will not damage the protected object. Let the energy absorbed per unit
volume up to densification by a foam with a plateau stress pl be Wvol. Then