PNNL

Abstract

Rugged tracer particles were placed within and on the exterior of metal charges detonated by an exploding wire setup. The tracer particles were collected on and in the porous walls of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic cylinders at diameters that correlated to the plasma width during different phases of the explosion. The deposition and mixing of the particles were determined by optical Boolean logic analysis of the luminescent intensity of the particles. In most cases, the larger-diameter cylinders showed uniform deposition and mixing with some aberrations seen in the deposition of the center tracer particles. These results and the tracer particle analysis can help improve the understanding of particulate mixing in harsh environments.