Development of High Explosive Initiation Time (HEIT) test configurations

The development of new explosives relies heavily on small-scale measurements of sensitivity properties. A promising method for obtaining information about thermal and handling sensitivity is the LANL High Explosives Initiation Time (HEIT) experiment. This system uses a capacitor discharge unit to deliver adjustable power, and in turn heat, to a small explosive sample contained in either a needle or other configuration. Through diagnostics such as high-speed imaging and calibrated resistance measurements, time-to-explosion versus temperature can be obtained from which Arrhenius rates are derived. We will discuss modifications of historical rapid-heating tests, resistance measurements of the samples, and variations in sample configurations. Results obtained from a variety of conventional and novel explosives will also be presented.