Accidental detonation

In the manufacture of high explosives, the possibility of accidental detonation must always be borne in mind and buildings are constructed and arranged so as to minimise the possible effects of such an explosion. The buildings are placed sufficiently far apart so that an explosion in one building will not cause sympathetic detonation in the other. Practical distances do not make it completely impossible for detonation in one house to leave all other houses unaffected, for two reasons ... 

Environmentally safe destruction of obsolete chemical weapons must be performed In facilities which assure total containment of blast effects and toxic gas In the event of an accidental detonation. Functional process requirements and recommended structural design procedures for containment rooms to accomplish this purpose are presented. The requirements presented are consistent with Department of the Army and Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board requirements. 

Note that combustion and/or vaporization of materials in the containment room may add significantly to hot gas pressures in the event of an accidental detonation therefore, the quantity of these kinds of materials in the containment room must be kept to an absolute minimium. 

Capability for repair and reuse with minimum effort in the event of an accidental detonation. 

BLAST ATTENTION. Shields used to provide protection from accidental detonation, are to be designed to prevent exposure of operating personnel to peak, positive incident pressures above 2.3 psi or peak positive normal reflected pressure above 5.0 psi. 

The sensitivity of an explosive to impact and friction is a key factor in deciding whether it finds practical use. Most developed countries have an ongoing program to gradually replace current explosives and propellants with insensitive materials, a process which will greatly reduce the risk of accidental detonation. At present these programs are still in their early phases. 

Introduction of SF5 Croups into Nitro Compounds As a part of continuing research for energetic materials that combine high performance with low vulnerability toward accidental detonation, the effect of introduction of the pentafluorosulfonyl (SF5) group on the properties of explosive nitro compounds... 

A new insensitive, cast-cured PBX called -135, has been developed in order to meet the requirements of US Navy s Insensitive Munitions Advanced Development Programfor High Explosives (IMAD/HE). PBXIH-135 has enhanced internal blast performance, improved non-vulnerability and penetration survivability characteristics compared with PBXN-109. Thermobaric explosives are required to defeat hard and deeply buried structures. PBXIH-135 thermobaric explosive which not only offers effective blast and thermal effects, but is also extremely insensitive to factors responsible for accidental detonation during transit or storage, may also be used for this purpose. 

Other examples of the use of DNT in pro-pints are to be found in the reports listed as Addnl Reports at the end of this article. More current information from the open literature is given below. Small amounts of DNT are incorporated in the smokeless propint invention of Suyama and Wakabayashi (Ref 19). The prophit grains are manufd by molding under w so as to prevent accidental deton. Further, it is claimed... 

Wear a plastic high-impact face shield and heavy leather welder s gloves while loading the primers. If an accidental detonation does occur, it will be semiccntained in the soft brass case, and it should be very small as a result of using only small amounts of primer compound. Damage, as a result, should be held to a minimum. 

A relatively new concept is presented for protection to the area surrounding hazardous work with explosives. Suppressive shields are vented composite steel structures which are designed to confine all fragments from an accidental detonation and to suppress hazardous blast and flame effects to a safe level. 

Studies have been conducted to develop a technological base for accurate determination of shield performance parameters. It was found early in the program that the available data base was inadequate for accurately predicting the blast, fire, and fragment effects that would occur as a result of an accidental detonation of an explosive in a shield environment. Indepth studies resulted in development of suppressive shield design procedures... 

Briefly, explosive safety consists of minimizing and/or eliminating conditions which might lead to the accidental detonation of explosives and/or providing necessary protection to operating personnel that would minimize and/or eliminate personal injury associated with an explosive incident. 

Normally, the rate of production of lead azide is geared to the rate at which it can be incorporated in explosive trains. In this manner the total quantity on hand is minimized and is broken down into small lots and packaged so that the accidental detonation of one component will be less likely to result in the sympathetic detonation of large stores. However, during the South East Asia conflict a substantial overproduction of lead azide occurred, and bulk quantities were produced far in excess of normal rates. This situation required a special awareness of three problems which, although always of concern, do not normally assume such proportions. These were the problems associated with bulk storage and handling of the finished product with the accumulation of hazardous waste... 

OB/OD operations can destroy many types of explosives, pyrotechnics, and propellants. OB areas must be able to withstand accidental detonation of any or all explosives being destroyed, unless the responsible OB technicians used, recognize that the characteristics of the materials involved are such that orderly burning without detonation can be ensured. Personnel with this type of knowledge must be consulted before any attempt is made at OB disposal, especially if primary explosives are present in any quantity. 

Upon detecting a possible subsurface UXO, the UXO specialist will mark the spot with a pin flag or spot of spray paint. A team of two UXO specialists then will excavate the marked items when the magnetometer survey team had advanced beyond the area that would be hazardous in the event of an accidental detonation caused by the excavation team. 

RSPs are designed to eliminate the possibility of UXO detonation, typically through fuze removal or disablement. Since performing an RSP is inherently hazardous, preparations should be made in advance for a high-order detonation in case the RSP is not successful. EOD technicians frequently perform RSPs remotely to ensure their safety in case of accidental detonation. Since performing RSPs is time consuming and costly, the process should be used only when BIP or movement of the UXO for disposal in a prepared disposal area is not possible. 

Biological Weapon - An item of material that projects, disperses, or disseminates a biological agent including arthropod vectors. Blepharospasm - Uncontrollable winking caused by involuntary contraction of an eyelid muscle. BLPS - Ballistic / Laser Eye protection. Bradycardia - Abnormally slow heartbeat. Broken Arrows - An accident involving nuclear weapons. While it is almost impossible for the warhead to accidentally detonate, the accident may spread radioactive contamination over a wide area. 

Once emplaced, a mine or boobytrap must be found before it causes multiple casualties through accidental detonation by a Marine. Unfortunately, too many booby-traps are discovered only after they explode. It is imperative that detection techniques be stressed. Detection may be by ... 

Antipersonnel mines and explosive boobytraps are very successfully employed by the VC/NVA. Part of this success is because Marines are not familiar with the physical description of explosive devices normally employed by the VC/NVA, and thus fail to recognize them prior to accidental detonation. 

The Integrated Ballistic Tent and Foam System (hereinafter called the tent-and-foam system) allows partially contained blow-in-place disposal of chemical mnnitions (as large as 8-inch projectiles) that cannot be inserted into a mobile disposal system (e.g., the EDS) or transported to a disposal facility because they are badly deteriorated or are extremely susceptible to accidental detonation. The inability to safely move the chemical munition is expected to be rare but very problematic. 

MRCs are a family of six overpack containers designed to allow the safe transport of NSCWM. The dimensions and capabilities of MRCs are shown in Table 2-5. MRCs are not designed or intended to contain the accidental detonation of a chemical munition. They should be considered only as overpack containers for containment of internal leaking and for protection of their contents during accidents or rough handling. Any chemical munitions to be transported in an MRC must first be determined to be safe, that is, explosion-proof, to transport by military ordnance experts. 

This item is also located in the process room. The explosive containment chamber (ECC) is where the munitions will be either cut or drilled. In the event of an accidental detonation during the cutting or drilling, the ECC is designed to withstand a blast of up to 13 pounds of TNT without a vapor release but is expected to be used to destroy projectiles not exceeding 5 pounds of TNT equivalent. 

In truth, the toxic residue from military munitions in drinking water, soil, surface water, and air present a far greater hazard to more people than an accidental detonation on an old range. Toxic substances can also escalate up the food chain rendering that big bass harmful to eat. Many common foods are contaminated with perchlorate because plants were watered from contaminated rivers or wells. 

Sensitivity to shock, sparks, and other forms of accidental detonation sensitivity to heat, friction, impact, and light, as well as to strong oxidizing and reducing agents ... 

One of the first reports of a forensic analysis of TATP in the United States came following an accidental detonation of a homemade TATP explosives device [41]. The TATP was analyzed by direct insertion probe-mass spectrometry (DIP-MS) with El, as well as methane and... 

The chemical composition of water gels and slurries renders these explosives less sensitive to accidental detonation than nitroglycerin-containing dynamites. In other words, water gels and slurry explosives are less likely to detonate when exposed to accidental shock, impact, and fire. This... 

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