Parametric Analysis of Factors Affecting Deflagration‐to‐Detonation Transition in Energetic Materials: A Critical Assessment

The deflagration‐to‐detonation transition (DDT) phenomenon has been a subject of interest for researchers since the late 1950s, owing to its significant military and industrial applications. It is essential to understand DDT for safe processing, production, transport, storage, and disposal of energetic materials. A combination of thermal, chemical, and mechanical processes leads to self‐sustained, accelerated burning from DDT in confined, porous, gas‐permeable explosives. It consists of four regimes, namely conductive burning, convective burning, compressive burning, and detonation. Pre‐detonation length (PDL) serves as an important parameter to quantify the ease or difficulty of DDT in an explosive charge when suitably ignited. PDL measured under various experimental conditions carried out by researchers during the last six decades have been compiled. Parametric analysis and qualitative assessment of the effect of various parameters on the PDL of different explosives under varying experimental conditions and deviations, along with their general behavior, have been discussed. During critical assessment, %theoretical maximum density (%TMD) of the charge, the particle size of the explosive, charge diameter, degree of confinement, wax/binder fraction (%) in the explosive, metal fuel fraction (%) in the explosive, and the temperature were found to be significant factors affecting the PDL of various explosive charges.