As the U.S. Nuclear Deterrent ages, one essential factor in making sure that the weapons will continue to perform as designed is understanding the fundamental properties of the high explosives that are part of a nuclear weapons system. As nuclear weapons go through life extension programs, some changes may be advantageous, particularly through the addition of what are known as "insensitive" high explosives that are much less likely to accidentally detonate than the already very safe "conventional" high explosives that are used in most weapons. At Los Alamos National Laboratory explosives research includes a wide variety of both large- and small-scale experiments that include small contained detonations, gas and powder gun firings, larger outdoor detonations, large-scale hydrodynamic tests, and at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site, underground sub-critical experiments.

This world-famous reference work has been enlarged and updated without tampering with its tried and tested format. Around 500 alphabetically ordered, monographic entries consider the physicochemical properties, production methods and safe applications of over 120 explosive chemicals; discuss 70 fuels, additives and oxidizing agents; and describe test methods. The extensive thermodynamic data have been thoroughly updated and for the first time are also provided in electronic format. The included CD-ROM was compiled by the Fraunhofer Institute of Chemical Technology (Pfinztal, Germany) and represents an excerpt from the ICT Thermodynamical Database. Not only additional thermodynamic data, and references to further reading, but also enhanced search facilities are provided. Other key features include: the 1500-entry combined index and glossary (comprising terms and abbreviations in English, French and German), conversion tables and many literature references. This book is suitable for explosive experts and also for translators, public authorities and patent lawyers. From reviews of previous editions: '... This wealth of information and an index that comprises some 1500 keywords and several conversion tables make this a unique source of knowledge for anybody working with explosives.' (Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics)

Major advances, both in modeling methods and in the computing power required to make those methods viable, have led to major breakthroughs in our ability to model the performance and vulnerability of explosives and propellants. In addition, the development of proton radiography during the last decade has provided researchers with a major new experimental tool for studying explosive and shock wave physics. Problems that were once considered intractable – such as the generation of water cavities, jets, and stems by explosives and projectiles – have now been solved. Numerical Modeling of Explosives and Propellants, Third Edition provides a complete overview of this rapidly emerging field, covering basic reactive fluid dynamics as well as the latest and most complex methods and findings. It also describes and evaluates Russian contributions to the experimental explosive physics database, which only recently have become available. This book comes with downloadable resources that contain— · FORTRAN and executable computer codes that operate under Microsoft® Windows Vista operating system and the OS X operating system for Apple computers · Windows Vista and MAC compatible movies and PowerPoint presentations for each chapter · Explosive and shock wave databases generated at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Russian Federal Nuclear Centers Charles Mader’s three-pronged approach – through text, computer programs, and animations – imparts a thorough understanding of new computational methods and experimental measuring techniques, while also providing the tools to put these methods to effective use.