Explosion of Composite Explosives

Detonation (and Explosion) of Composite Explosives. Composite expls used for most mining operations consist of intimate mixtures of detonating compds (such as NG), oxidizing salts (such as AN) and combustibles (such as 

Gordon, Detonation Limits in Composite Explosives , lOthSympCombstn(1964), pp 833-38 3) I.C. Skidmore S. Hart, The 

Equation of State of Detonation Products Behind Overdriven Detonation Waves in Composition B , 4thONRSympDeton(1965), pp 47-51 

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Composite Explosives, Detonation (and Explosion) of. See Detonation (and Explosion) of Composite Explosives... 

R. L. B>e3uteg td,HistoyofNavy Uses of Composition A-3 and Explosive D in Pnfectiles,TR70-1,NAVORD,W3.shmgton,E).C., 1970. 

Pollution Prevention. Procedures haven been developed for recovery of composite ammonium perchlorate propellant from rocket motors, and the treatment of scrap and recovered propellant to reclaim ingredients. These include the use of high pressure water jets or compounds such as ammonia, which form fluids under pressure at elevated temperature, to remove the propellant from the motor, extraction of the ammonium perchlorate with solvents such as water or ammonia as a critical fluid, recrystalli2ation of the perchlorate and reuse in composite propellant or in slurry explosives or conversion to perchloric acid (166,167). 

Xenates and Perxenates. Alkali metal xenates of composition MHXe04-1.5H20, where M is sodium, potassium, mbidium, or cesium, have been prepared by free2e-dryiQg mixtures of xenon trioxide and the corresponding metal hydroxides ia 1 1 molar ratios. The xenates are unstable, explosive solids. 

Nondestructive Testing. Nondestmctive inspection of an explosion-welded composite is almost totally restricted to ultrasonic and visual inspection. Radiographic inspection is appHcable only to special types of composites consisting of two metals having a significant mismatch in density and a large wave pattern in the bond interface (see Nondestructive evaluation). 

B. Brown, Explosive Hazards of Composite Solid Propellants , Report No IDA/HQ-67-6659, Contract DAHC15-67-C-0011, Arlington... 

A final laboratory study was described by Shick and Grace (1982) as being carried out in Sweden (Bei an and Laufke, 1981). From 10 to 100 g of water were injected into 10-30 g of smelt. In some tests subsurface iiyection was used at pressures of 10 bar, whereas in others a ceramic capsule with water was burst under smelt with electric fuses. Smelts of a wide range of compositions could be exploded with the subsurface injection. Comparison of explosion intensities to those produced by TNT or black powder (as judged from pressure-time traces) suggested that 1 kg of water was equivalent to 0.03-0.2 kg TNT or 0.3-2 kg black powder. 

Detonation Limits of Solid Explosives, See Detonation Limits of Composite Explosives and under Detonation Limits of Condensed Explosives... 

Typical HE-T (High-Explosive-Tracer) Artillery Projectile, such as used in 120-mm HE-T, Comp B, M356 (T15E3) Separated Ammunition is shown in Fig 1-2. It consists of a forged steel body loaded with 7.84 lb of Composition B and fitted with a PD fuze. 

Given an explosive compound of composition C HiNA, in which there is at least enough oxygen to convert hydrogen to HaO but no more than is also required to convert carbon to CO2, the H2O-CO2 arbitrary calls for the formation of detonation products according to the following decomposition equation ... 

If dilute chloraurie acid containing ammonium chloride is added to a cold saturated solution of ammonium chloride saturated with ammonia only one compound is obtained, namely, diamino-auric chloride, Au(NH2)2C1. This is a yellow powder which is non-explosive and is decomposed by washing with water, forming a derivative of aurous oxide of composition 3Au0.2NH3.,dH20, which is explosive. 

Table 2.10 Some properties of composite explosives with 80.6 % HMX, HMX/NTO and HMX/TATB.

Poly(NiMMO) has been used in a variety of applications, not solely in explosives but also in gun and rocket propellants [128]. British scientists have done extensive research on synthesis, characterization and application of poly(NiMMO) as a binder for gun and rocket propellants. A team led by Leach examined a range of composite LOVA propellants based on poly(NiMMO) in combination with various fillers and plasticizers. At the end of their investigation, they concluded that it is possible to formulate propellants with an impetus of up to 1300J g-1 which still show a low response to shaped charge... 

Smokeless propellants may be taken as another example of composite explosives. These may be either mixtures of nitrocellulose of differing degrees of nitration, partly in a colloidal and partly in a fibrous state with an admixture of the remaining solvent and a stabilizer or a solution of nitrocelluloses in carbamite (centralite) and nitroglycerine with an admixture of components such as aromatic nitro compounds, nitroguanidine, graphite etc. 

During World War II cyclonite was used by all the combatants to increase the power of composite explosives. Fusible mixtures of TNT with cyclonite were prepared, mainly with an admixture of aluminium, and mixtures of TNT with hexyl and cyclonite also with admixture of aluminium (pp. 271-272). 

With the development of the organic chemical industry, aromatic nitro compounds of the TNT type were introduced as ingredients of composite explosives. TNT is preferable to picric acid since it has no acidic properties and hence is much less reactive. Mixtures with TNT and similar nitro compounds showed an excellent chemical stability. 

The preparation of infusible (loose powder) ammonium nitrate mixtures is usually carried out in the same way as the manufacture of composite mining explosives. Since the military explosives are not very sensitive to mechanical stimulants, and it is important to obtain a high density, mixing is usually performed by edge runner mills. 

From the point of view of composition, German safety explosives are classified as formerly into three groups ... 

In 1957 the National Coal Board [83] centralized the purchase of permitted explosives in Great Britain and introduced standardization of composition, cartridge sizes etc. 

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