Explosive Flashbomb Luminosity Factors

A brief and exploratory experimental study of explosive flashbombs used framing cameras at 240,000 and 1,020,000 frames/sec. All experiments used atmospheric pressure gas and 8 by 8-in. pads 2-in. thick of composition B 3 explosive. No important differences in the luminosity of xenon and argon were noted when the two gases were enclosed in separate aluminized plastic bags with acrylic resin windows, shocked by separate explosive pads. Sodium salicylate did not fluoresce sufficiently to augment an argon flashbomb's visible light output. As windows on argon flashbombs, vinylidene chloride and cellophane strips and tape became absorptive while glass and acrylic resin sometimes became frosted, depending on undetermined conditions. A faint precursor luminosity was observed ahead of the main luminous front in an argon flashbomb. It had an initial velocity of 13 mm/μsec, decreasing in 10 μ;sec to 7 mm/μ;sec. The main luminous front was studied using color film of ASA speed 25 in high-speed cameras at 240,000 frames/sec with aperture f/21, exposure time 0.8 μ;sec, and a filter of neutral density 1.5. Diffusely illuminated white paper was recorded with the same framing rate, exposure time, f-number and no filter, using color film of ASA speed 160.

Print ISSN

0361-4573

Published

1962-12

Content type

Original Research

DOI

10.5594/J09311