International Workshop on Non-Ideal Explosives

Fourth International Workshop on Non-Ideal Explosives (May 17 - 20, 2005)

This fourth international workshop will once again bring together government and industry personnel who have an active interest in, or work with, non-ideal explosives. The previous workshops have produced many interesting and valuable discussions about the properties, applications and testing of non-ideal explosives. The applications have ranged from industrial uses through the use of these explosives by terrorists. The terrorist threat has not diminished and the funding in the US on Homeland Security remains an incentive to scientists in laboratory settings to apply their knowledge and experience to non-ideal energetic materials. Therefore, the fourth workshop should again have an interest in non-ideal explosives that terrorist have used, or may use.

The workshop has always encouraged discussions of ways of improving commercial explosives. Since commercial explosives tend to be non-ideal explosives and they represent the class of explosives that provide the largest volume of explosives manufacture and use, they should once again be considered as a priority in the upcoming workshop. Aluminum has been used in commercial explosives for some time now as a means of producing more energy release. Of particular interest to the open pit miners is the manner in which the aluminum causes the energy to be released. Specifically, they are interested in how much energy is released within the reaction subsonic volume and how much energy is released behind the sonic surface. A lot of work has looked into the effect of the size of the aluminum particles on energy release. However, though it has been acknowledged that the oxide coating impacts the energy released little work has been done to provide a clear understanding of how it achieves this impact. Nanotechnology techniques should be able to be used to alter the coating on the aluminum particles. This alteration should then have a large effect upon how the aluminum influences the release of energy from an aluminized explosive. Therefore, nanotechnology related to energy materials will be an added topic of interest for the fourth workshop.

A classified session is planned in conjunction with this open meeting. A request for abstracts for this session will be sent separately.

Please submit your abstracts related to the discussion topics by following the guidance given below:

Previous Abstracts:

• 2001 Abstracts
• 1999 Abstracts

Discussion Topics:

1. Determining the energy release and environmental hazards in mining or AN based explosives.
2. Determining the energy release, critical diameter, detonation hazards of oxidizing substances.
3. Forensic implications of non-ideal explosive characterization.
4. Equation of State, Reaction Rate, Detonation Front Curvature and Diameter Effect characterization and modeling of non-ideal explosives.
5. NanoEnergetics, any means by which nanotechnology may be used in energetic materials.
6. Reactive hydrodynamic and air blast modeling relating to non-ideal explosives.

Abstract Submittal:

Speakers will be chosen based on the submittal of a 150 - 300 word abstract that should be postmarked no later than March 1, 2005. The abstract should focus on one of the discussion topics listed above. A preference will be given to papers directly relating to the theoretical/experimental study of the energy release in non-ideal energetic materials and the problems these materials present. Other papers will be considered as space allows.

Hosts:

• Dr. John L. Meason, EMRTC
• Mr. Pharis E. Williams, WRC

Sponsors:

• Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM.
• Williams Research Corporation (WRC), Socorro, NM

Potential Co-Sponsors:

• Mechanical Engineering Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM.
• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Washington, DC
• Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM
• Sandia National Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM
• Center for Energetic Materials and Explosive Devices, (CEMED)

Dates:

May 17 - 20, 2005 (Open session to be held 17-19 May)

Location:

• Workman Center, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM.
• Socorro, NM Map
• Directions
• Area Accommodations

Registration Form:

•   Registration Form  (188 KB PDF)

Information:

Please email willres@sdc.org or call the number listed below for additional information. Abstracts may be submitted via email to the provided address (MS Word or Adobe Acrobat formats preferred).

Mrs. Jeri Williams
C/O WRC
1305 Hilton Place
Socorro, NM 87801

Phone: (505) 835-4007
Fax: (505) 835-2034