Cap sensitive

Significant quantities of nitromethane find use as fuel in drag racing and as a hobby fuel. In addition, nitromethane is used in explosive appHcations, particularly in shaped charges for specialized appHcations. It has the advantage of not in itself being classified as an explosive, but it can be made cap-sensitive on-site, thus simplifying the transport of the explosive system to remote locations. 

Owing to their intrinsic safety and inexpensive nature, AN/fuel formulations have almost completely replaced dynamites as the mining explosive. As a result, they are by far the most widely used explosive. AN formulations are sold as AN prill or solution, ANFO pre-mixed, AN water—gel (although this is becoming obsolete) AN emulsions, either in cartridges or as bulk material that is brought to the site and loaded directly from the tmck to the borehole and heavy ANFO (ANFO folded into an AN emulsion). AN formulations usually require the use of a high explosive booster, but powerful and cap-sensitive formulations can be prepared. 

R. W. VanDolah et al, US Bur Mines RI No 7195 (1968) CA 70, 13126 (1969). Development of Slurry Explosives for Use in Potentially Flammable Gas Atmospheres, In this rept expts with 23AN-based slurry expls showed that it is possible to have them cap-sensitive and relatively nonincendive. All slurries that used flaked Al were sensitive to No 6 EBC (electric blasting cap) except one contg AN 47.2, NaCl 10, water 30, Al (particle size... 

Booster A cap-sensitive high explosive used to initiate other less sensitive high explosives. 

J.D. Hopper F.B. Wells, USP 3317361 (1967) CA 67, 23727q(1967) [Flexible plasticized expl A water-resistant, cap-sensitive, flexible expl having improved thermal stability, high.impact friction resistance, high power, safe to handle and useful for metal forming and demolition is provided by a mixt of RDX... 

Nitrome thane-Nitropropane-Thickener expl compositions having high rates of deton, but being non-cap-sensitive, are described. They were useful in marine seismic exploration work. For their prepn 800 lbs fertilizer-grade AN prills (previously ground to pass 10-mesh screen of which 22% passed 200-mesh) were intimately mixed with 104 lb MeNC>27 86 lb PrN02 ... 

In addition, the cap sensitivity of the emulsion decreases. The cap sensitivity is the sensitivity of an explosive to initiation by a detonator. Thus, the explosive becomes less sensitive to initial detonation. 

The emulsion, also addressed as matrix, is generally still not ignitable. Therefore, in order to achieve sufficient cap sensitivity, the density of the matrix must be lowered by adding glass microspheres, by chemical gassing, or by adding granular ammonium nitrate. 

Since neither the raw materials nor the finished mixture are cap-sensitive expls, they can be shipped at commercial freight rates rather than at the higher rates for expls... 

Cap Sensitive Explosive is any expl compn which can be efficiently initrated by a commercial detonating element, such as a blasting cap or detonating cord... 

As they are not cap sensitive, they must be initiated by a high velocity HE, such as 75% Ammonia Gelatin, Composition B or Pentolite. Inadequate priming imparts a low initial deton velocity to a Blasting Agent and in extreme cases the reaction will die out and cause a misfire. HE boosters are sometimes spaced along a bore-... 

RDX/10 Al/2 NC. It has a d of 1.45g/cc, is cap-sensitive and detonates at 6800m/sec(Ref II) An additional Slurry ingredients list (more specific than the tabulation in Table 4 but showing no compn ranges), taken from Ref 8, is shown in Table 5, This list classifies the various ingredients as oxidizers, fuels, etc... 

Atlas Chemical Industries, Inc Nitric Acid Sensitized Cap Sensitive Explosives with Gelation Catalyst and Entrapped Air... 

Sytamjt. Trade name of a powdered AN—A1 base cap sensitive industrial expl distributed in the Ger Federal Republic by Wasagchemie. Its relatively high d allows loading even in w-filled boreholes d 1.10g/cc relative wt strength 82% Ref R. Meyer, Explosives , Verlag Chemie, NY (1977), 256... 

Since 1970, the date, shift, manufacturer and product name have been printed in code on the cartridge of cap-sensitive high expls. The manufacturer keeps records, by that day-shift code, and can tell to whom each batch of material was sold. Distributors also are required to keep records of sale. It is thus possible, from the date-shift code, to compile a list of last legal purchasers of expls from a lot with the same date-shift code. BATF maintains a National Explosives Tracing Center, whose function is to coordinate this activity. A typical trace would start with the recovery of an undetonated bomb. This code would be telephoned to the tracing center which would forward the information to the manufacturer, who would provide a list of consumers or distributors. If expls from that lot were sold to a distributor or distributors, they would be contacted for a list of retail purchasers... 

Such cost increases can produce a large impact on the amounts of various expls sold, if as expected this price increase will be passed on to the consumer. Cap-sensitive expls are already suffering a substantial decline in use relative to blasting agents primarily because of their higher price. 

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