Influence of Density on Detonation Parameters

Primary explosives are generally prepared in the form of crystalline or powdery material with low bulk densities and large specific surface. This form is hardly ever suitable for direct application and therefore it has to be further processed. For use in detonators they must be compacted by pressing to the detonator caps in a way that assures the best initiation properties. 

When higher pressures are used to achieve higher densities, a phenomenon called dead-pressing may occur, leading to a material which is hard to ignite and which, if ignited, only bums without detonation [1]. Pressing a primary explosive to a point where it loses its capability to detonate is therefore not desirable. 

The phenomenon of dead pressing is not common to aU primary explosives. Many azides, including lead azide, cannot be easily dead-pressed. On the other 

The compaction process reflects in the density, which influences practically all of the other explosive properties. On the following two charts (Fig. 2.1), the relationship between detonation velocity and density for MF and LA is presented. 

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