Method of characterising the structure of a void sensitized explosive composition

A method of achieving a designed bulk detonation energy output in terms of a ratio of shock energy to heave energy for an explosives composition that comprises sensitizing voids distributed within liquid energetic material and that is formulated by blending together a void sensitized liquid energetic material and a void-free liquid energetic material, the method comprising:

• identifying a distribution function template that is representative of a desired ratio of shock energy to heave energy, the distribution function template being characterized by a blending ratio of void sensitized liquid energetic material to void-free liquid energetic material and by a characteristic dimension of void-free liquid energetic material relative to a mean diameter of voids in the void sensitized liquid energetic material;
• selecting a density for the explosive composition;
• providing a void sensitized liquid energetic material having a mean void diameter and a void-free liquid energetic material that, based on their respective densities and on the blending ratio, would achieve the density selected for the explosive composition;
• and
• formulating the explosive composition by blending together at the blending ratio the void sensitized liquid energetic material and the void-free liquid energetic material, wherein blending is carried out to achieve the characteristic dimension of void-free liquid energetic material relative to the mean diameter of voids in the void sensitized liquid energetic material consistent with the distribution function.