Considerations on Energy Deposition with the BAM-Fallhammer

The BAM-Fallhammer is a mechanical device to test the impact sensitivity of explosives and to determine a sensitiveness level. By its construction it transforms potential energy into kinetic energy of an impacting hammer, then hitting the sample. Ideally the entire potential energy is available at the moment of impact and the supporting base is infinitely rigid. By this study we want to quantify how much a real Fallhammer deviates from the ideal concept, and what the differences between different Fallhammers in different laboratories are. This information has never been collected in a consistent way. The aim of the authors is to develop guidance on the mechanical properties of the Fallhammer, which can be used for different purposes such as internal quality control, validation of the correct functioning of the Fallhammer, preparation of Round-Robin tests and similar. An established and verified mechanical status of a Fallhammer would greatly improve the quality and comparability of results and Round-Robin tests on the impact sensitivity of explosives.