title: Decomposition of γ-cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (γ-RDX): relevance for shock wave initiation.
abstract: To elucidate the reactive behavior of RDX crystals at pressures and temperatures relevant to shock wave initiation, Raman spectroscopy and optical imaging were used to determine the pressure-temperature (P-T) stability and the decomposition of γ-RDX, the high pressure phase of RDX. Experiments were performed on single crystals in a diamond anvil cell at pressures from 6 to 12 GPa and at temperatures up to 600 K. Evidence for the direct decomposition of γ-RDX above 6 GPa, without the involvement of other phases, is provided. The upper limit of the P-T locus for the γ-RDX thermal decomposition was determined. A refined P-T phase diagram of RDX is presented that includes the current findings for γ-RDX. The static compression results are used to gain key insight into the shock initiation of RDX, including a determination of the RDX phase at decomposition and understanding the role of pressure and temperature in accelerating shock induced decomposition. This study has established the important role that γ-RDX plays in decomposition of RDX under static and shock compression conditions; thus theoretical modeling of RDX decomposition at high pressures and temperatures needs to incorporate the γ-phase response.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Shock Physics and Department of Physics, Washington State University , Pullman, Washington 99164-2816, United States. dreger@wsu.edu
authors.forename: Zbigniew A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Dreger
authors.forename: Yogendra M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Gupta