• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.21-28
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• 2015

The objective of this study is to develop a method for monitoring continuously the combustion propagation behavior of commercial thermite reaction mixtures using conventional continuous VOD (velocity of detonation) system. In order to monitor the combustion front propagation with elapsed time during thermite reaction, the VOD system employs two types of commercial VOD probes and one self-made probe: VOD PROBEROD-OS, VOD PROBEROD-HS and VOD PROBEROD-ES, respectively. Among the probes, the only self made VOD PROBEROD-ES successfully demonstrates the velocity of combustion propagation (VOC) with elapsed time. It was found that VOC of the thermite reaction mixture inside a steel tube has been reached around 200m/s within 100mm distance from the ignition and dramatically increased up to about twice the speed of sound in the range between 100mm and 300mm distance. Finally the VOC reached up to around 800m/s. This results imply that it is necessary to use over 300mm long cartridge of thermite reaction mixture in order to achieve normal VOC of the mixture.