Paul J. Hazell is Professor of Impact Dynamics at UNSW Canberra, Australia, and a researcher specialising in the mechanics of high-rate phenomena. His research spans shock loading, impact dynamics, and the behaviour of materials and structures under extreme loading conditions. He serves on the editorial boards of several leading journals in these fields and is the author of Armour: Materials, Theory, and Design (CRC Press, 2nd ed., 2022). Paul has taught courses in computational modelling, shock wave theory, impact dynamics, and protection engineering, and has received multiple awards recognising his engaging and dynamic approach to teaching. His expertise in weapons technology has also been featured in several documentaries, where he has provided expert commentary.
Nicholas Kanizaj is a senior lecturer in Explosive Ordnance at the School of Engineering and Technology, UNSW Canberra, Australia. He has discharged commercial research in the areas of rocket propellants, small arms propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics. As an educator, his teaching portfolio includes courses on rocket motor design, propellants, pyrotechnics, and explosive ordnance design and systems, where he combines theoretical knowledge with practical applications to prepare the next generation of specialists. His dual role as both researcher and educator allows him to bridge the gap between academic innovation and practical implementation in explosive ordnance technology, contributing to both the advancement of the field and the development of a pipeline of skilled professionals.
Explosive ordnance is used throughout the armed services to project power. Consequently, a thorough understanding of how explosive ordnance behaves regarding its effects, environmental aspects and testing methodologies, and the way that explosives function from a fundamental perspective is crucial for the safe handling of these sometimes-complex systems.
This book provides a rigorous foundation for understanding how explosives and explosive ordnance systems operate. Its scope is deliberately broad. It begins with the fundamentals of explosive materials and progresses to detonation physics, including the classical Chapman–Jouguet theory as well as Zel´dovich-von Neumann-Döring theory. The text also examines shock physics, fragmentation and penetration analysis, testing of explosives and explosive ordnance, and the use of shock tubes and blast simulators to advance our understanding of blast-wave effects. In addition, it examines the need for insensitive munitions and content on environmental considerations. Finally, it explores
sacrificial claddings for blast protection and presents recent observations on the use of drones in the conflict in Ukraine.
With contributions from established researchers and practitioners across the globe, this book is written for students, engineers, defence professionals, and researchers. It offers a systematic, and sometimes in-depth introduction to the field—bridging fundamental theory with real-world ordnance behaviour. Whether used as a teaching text or a technical reference, it equips readers with the tools needed to engage with modern explosive systems.
1. Explosive Materials: Fundamentals 2. Advanced Explosive Compositions 3. Detonics: Theory and Practice 4. Computational Modelling of Explosive Detonation 5. Historical Reasons for Determining the High-Rate Mechanical Properties of Solid Explosives and Propellants 6. Environmental Impact of Explosive Materials Through Life 7. Introduction to Insensitive Munitions and the Reduction of Vulnerability 8. Testing of Explosives and Explosive Ordnance 9. Shock Tubes and Blast Simulators 10. Explosive Ordnance Effects on Structures 11. Modelling of Explosive Effects 12. Quantitative Explosive Risk Assessment of Blast and Fragmentation Hazards 13. Human Vulnerability Subjected to Blast and Fragments 14. Sacrificial Claddings for Blast Protection 15. Drone Delivery Systems: Perspectives from the War in Ukraine
Fundamentals of Explosive Ordnance covers the fundamental science and engineering concepts behind the design, operation, safety, and effects of explosive ordnance. It not only covers conventional weapon systems, but also those of improvised explosive devices and hypersonic weapons systems.
