Bursters, explosive

The military high explosives may be subdivided into booster and burster explosives... 

Bursters, explosive Articles consisting of a small charge of explosive used to open projectiles, or other ammunition in order to disperse their contents. UN App. B, ICAO A2, lATA App. A... 

Two copper conical shaped charges (CSC) are used to break open the burster charge canister in the munition and detonate the burster explosives. The CSCs are fired in the direction of the burster at the same time as the ESC is fired. The CSC is a multi-tapered copper device containing 32 grains of Composition A explosive. It was selected because it meets the initiation requirements of TNT and the need for precision and repeatability. 

The CSC design was chosen to exceed the criteria for reliable detonation of the burster explosives by shaped charge impact. However, because the condition of the explosives in aged, recovered munitions is inherendy uncertain, detonation of the burster cannot be guaranteed. 

Conical shaped charge (CSC) Puncture die burster in die munition and attempt to detonate die burster explosive. The CSC consists of 32 grams of Composition A-3, multitapered and copper-lined. Depending on the munition, one or two CSCs are used. 

Picric Acid and Ammonium Picrate. Picric acid (PA) (2,4,6,-trinitrophenol) was the first modem high explosive to be used extensively as a burster ia gun projectiles. It was first obtained by nitration of iadigo, and used primarily as a fast dye for silk and wool. It offered many advantages when compressed, it was used as a booster for other explosives, and when cast (melting poiat 122.5°C) served as a burster ia shell it was stable, iasensitive, nonhygroscopic, relatively nontoxic, and of high density when cast, and could be made economically by simple nitration. 

Ammonium picrate (AP) is used only where a high explosive is required that is particularly iasensitive to shock. It has been employed ia pressed form primarily as a burster ia aaval projectiles for armor peaetratioa. The compouad is very stable and does not form sensitive metallic salts. Its explosive... 

Whenever the operation to be performed involves the potential to cause the initiation of the propellant, explosive or pyrotechnic (PEP) component(s) of a munition item, the APE is either operated by remote control, with the operator behind a protection wall or barrier, or it is enclosed in a protective barricade or operational shield. Barricades or operational shields are designed to protect personnel and assets from the effects of blast overpressures, thermal effects or fireball, and fragments result from the initiation of PEP components, such as the fuze, primer, propelling charge, burster, etc. 

Slurries of energetic materials from two sources are treated in the SILVER II process the explosive in the rocket and projectile burster tubes (which may be either Composition B or tetrytol) and the ground-up M28 propellant grain in the rocket motors. 

Bursters from 155-mm, M110 mustard agent projectiles are transferred by the PMD burster transfer conveyor to the burster size-reduction machine. This is a baseline-system rocket shear machine (RSM) modified to perform burster size reduction. The M6 bursters from these projectiles are cut into three equal-length sections to reduce the time required to separate/deactivate the tetrytol explosive in the COINS. From the burster size-reduction machine, the burster sections drop into the projectile component discharge hopper, through double blast gates, to the projectile component discharge chute... 

The COINS process uses an overhead conveyor system that collects metal parts containing explosive energetics components (fuzes and bursters) into baskets that are moved through a tank containing a caustic bath that hydrolyzes the energetic materials in the metal parts. No propellant is sent to the COINS. 

M36 and M34 bursters from rockets are placed in COINS without shearing. These bursters require less exposure time for melting and reaction of the Composition B explosive than the tetrytol in projectile bursters. The energetic material in these rocket bursters is fully extracted from the burster metal and plastic hardware during the COINS processing. 

The committee expects that energetics from fuzes and burster assemblies will be present in the feed to the TRBP under normal operating conditions. EDS II testing showed that decomposition of these energetics will occur in a controlled manner and that explosive or detonation events are very unlikely (Eco Logic, 2001f). 

Finding (Blue Grass) EFKE-2. Energetics from fuzes and burster assemblies will probably not be destroyed in COINS, and downstream equipment must be able to handle this situation. Explosivity tests conducted by the technology provider showed that these materials decompose in the TRBP environment rather than explode or detonate and that the TRBPs will accommodate the decomposition of these explosive materials. 

Not all the projectiles in storage at Blue Grass Army Depot contain explosive burster charges. Those projectiles with bursters (155-mm HD rounds) are pro-... 

Uses. To implode fissionable material in nuclear devices to achieve critical mass as a component of plastic-bonded explosives and solid fuel rocket propellants and as burster charges in military munitions. 

A burster well, which is a metal tube closed at one end, extends the full length of the bomb, is filled with an explosive. For the bomb filled with PWP the Burster AN-M20 is used, while for the WP bomb the Burster AN-M18 is used. A threaded hole in the nose end of the bomb receives the AN-M159 fuze or its alternate AN-M126A1. Two... 

Definition of term "burster" is given in Ref 44, p B364-L and in Ref 51a, p 5-13. Explosive charges used in bursters include BkPdr, BkPdr + Mg powd (coated with oil), TNT, Tetryl or Composition B. When the burster is installed in the bomb, it fits into either the burster well or the ignition cavity Following types of bomb bursters are described in Ref 51a ... 

Hydraulic Coal Bursters are devices Using compressed water for breaking down the coal. Some of these devices are described in the book of J. Taylor and P.F. Gay, British Coal Mining Explosives , G. Newnes Ltd, London (1958), pp 134-137... 

Used by Japanese in pressed state as a standard Sub-Booster in Army and Navy Shells and occasionally as the sole Booster in Navy 25-mm Shells and as Burster in some Bombs and Shells. Also used in composite explosive Tanoyaku (qv) (Ref 1, pp 26, 31 33 Ref 5, p 367)... 

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