Characterization of the viscoelastic behaviour of a plastic-bonded explosive

An experimental study of the viscoelastic behaviour of a composite explosive material with an octogen content of almost 95% is presented. The addition of a plastic binder results in a material that, following isostatic compaction, exhibits a quasi-brittle behaviour that is strongly dependent on the strain rate. Some mechanical spectrometry tests were carried out in order to characterise this behaviour. The measurements were analysed using a time–temperature equivalence method. We also propose possible explanations for the irreversible phenomenon observed during the tests.