Simulation of explosive welding using the Williamsburg equation of state to model low detonation velocity explosives

Explosive welding is a process for producing bi-metallic plates and tubes. Whilst well established it has been essentially an empirical process. In most welding operations, low-speed explosives such as ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) mixtures, are used. Such explosives have a low velocity of detonation with an appreciable detonation zone. The usual Jones–Wilkins–Lee equation of state (EOS) is not valid. A more representative EOS is the Williamsburg EOS. Recent work to numerically model the process is described. A notable advance is the use of the finite difference engineering package AUTODYN with a Williamsburg-type EOS to model low detonation velocity ANFO explosive and perlite mixtures. In this work, the Williamsburg EOS was coded as a subroutine in the AUTODYN software package which was then used to simulate most aspects of the explosive welding process. The computed results were validated by explosive welding trials. The phenomenon of jetting and the interfacial waves usually observed in explosive welding were successfully reproduced.