Modelling of Explosives Sensitivity Part 1: The Bruceton Method

Considerable work has been done to investigate the sensitivity of explosive materials. Various methods are developed for determining statistically the “explosion characteristics”. Any statistical method is based on a stochastic model and, clearly, an inappropriate model yields generally meaningless results, independently of the applied method. The most commonly applied method in the field of explosive material is known as Bruceton method. In this paper the Bruceton method and the underlying model are analyzed critically and the conclusion is drawn that the Bruceton method cannot be recommended for determining the sensitivity of explosive material. In a subsequent paper a different approach to solve the problem will be suggested.