Fuel Air Explosives = FAE

Ethylene oxide has been studied for use as a rocket fuel (276) and as a component in munitions (277). It has been reported to be used as a fuel in FAE (fuel air explosive) bombs (278). 

FAE - Fuel Air Explosives, Brennstoff-Luft Sprengstoffe, Druckwellensprengstoffe... 

There are two related weapon systems in this category the thermobaric weapons and the Fuel Air Systems, also known in German as aerosol bombs (FAE, Fuel Air Explosive). Both function according to the same principle. 

Tests of a High-Speed Nonretarded Fuel-Air Explosive (FAE) , Rept No ADTC-TR-73-93, Elgin AFB (1973) 8) R.C. Weaver et al,... 

Liquid Air and Liquid Oxygen Explosives originally consisted of porous combustible materials impregnated with liquid air. Soon after liq oxygen became commercially available it began to replace liq air in these explosives. Consequently this article is devoted almost entirely to Liquid Oxygen Explosives commonly called LOX. It should be noted that LOX are not to be confused with Fuel-Air Explosives (See FAE in Vol 6, p F3). 

FAE and FAX (Fuel-Air-Explosives). The acronym of the US Fuel-Air Explosives Program which has been changed from FAX to FAE to prevent confusion with Fighter-Aircraft Experimental (FAX) Program. FAE represents (he entire fuel-air explosives program, including current projects... 

Slagg et al point out that theoretical performance of FAE clouds may not be realized in practice The available energy of a fuel-air explosive may not be realized due to the rarefaction wave (Fig 7) which can alter the flow field and thereby remove energy from the blast or detonation wave. At present, theoretical calculations cannot be performed taking this factor into consideration due to the lack of a realistic physical model. In addition, comparisons between calculations of theoretical outputs and experiments are difficult at this time because the fuel-... 

Further modification of the FAE-II bomb is presented by Miller (Ref 3). This report describes an aerodynamic decelerator as follows Applying a Ram Air Inflatable Decelerator (RAID) as the aerodynamic decelerator system to meet the air-delivery requirements for the 2000-lb fuel air explosive (FAE) bomb. The delivery approach considered is to allow the bomb to free-fall in an unretarded configuration until it reaches the vicinity of the target. At this... 

AFOSR Contractors Meeting (1978) on Unconfined Fuel-Air Explosions (FAE) and other Combustion/Explosion Related Research (1979), 30, (AD-A064-799/0ST) 20) Y. de... 

An aerosol bomb, Fuel Air Explosive (FAE) or Fuel Air Bomb, is a weapon whose effect on the detonation of an aerosol or substance distributed as a dust cloud does not depend on an oxidizer being present in the molecule. A FAE bomb consists of a container with a flammable substance (e.g. ethylene oxide). Two explosive charges are used as detonators the first explosion causes the fuel to be distributed as fine particles into the air as an aerosol. Following this, microseconds - milliseconds later the aerosol is detonated, which results in the release of high pressure. 

FAX (Fuel-Air Explosives). See FAE and FAX F-Bomb. Brit for Fragmentation Bomb... 

The advantage to classical FAE is the shorter delay between distribution of the fuel cloud and ignition of the fuel/air mixture. In this third and fourth generation of fuel air explosives there is no more need for an atomization charge which makes them a real single event FAE . 

Ethylene oxide is an important fuel for FAEs and has proved its potential as one of the best fuels for them. It has wide explosive limits and low boiling point (10.5 °C) which facilitates its vaporization faster at room temperature and results in the formation of a cloud with air which is detonated. However, EO has a tendency to polymerize during storage thereby decreasing its shelf-life as well as the performance of EO-based weapons. The phenomenon of polymerization of EO, effect of temperature and materials of construction of weapons on polymerization and retardation of EO polymerization by the addition of well-known anti-oxidants have been studied by Agrawal et al. [293]. The addition of anti-oxidants retards EO polymerization and enhances the shelf-life of EO but does not meet the requirements of the Services, stipulating a shelf-life of minimum 10 years for... 

At the beginning of the seventies, the first useable FAE were developed at the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Centre Weapons Division NAWCWPNS, California. They are considered as the strongest nonnuclear chemical explosives. Primarily ethylene oxide (EO) or propylene oxide (PO) serve as fuels. These substances are atomised by explosive charges and ignited after mixing up with air. After intra-moleculare decomposition the fuel reacts with atmospheric oxygen and starts a detonation with velocities about 2000 m/s. Peak pressure under the detonating cloud reaches up to 30 bar. The effectiveness of the blast wave exceeds TNT more than five times calculated for equivalent masses. 

---