Explosives insensitive

The criteria for insensitive explosives subjected to ha2ard tests permit no reaction more violent than burning in slow and fast cook-off tests and fragment and bullet tests, no propagation in sympathetic detonation tests, no detonation when stmck by a shaped charge jet, no sustained burning when hit by a small fragment, and such special tests as may be required by the use of the explosive. 

This powerful but relatively insensitive explosive decomposes violently at 202° C, and gives lead and silver salts which are highly impact sensitive [1], Though not endothermic (AH°f —103.3 kJ/mol), as a bis-nitramine it has a rather high heat of decomposition (3.91 kJ/g) which it is calculated would attain an adiabatic decomposition temperature over 2250°C, with a 60-fold pressure increase in a closed system [2],... 

Formal sequential addition of amino groups to 2,4,6-trinitroaniline gives 1,3-diamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (DATB, 56) and 1,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB, 57). TATB is more stable than expected from the additivity calculation. The ability to have hydrogen bonding with three amino groups both intra- and inter-molecularly in the crystal stabilizes the molecule. The molecule that results is thermally stable and used as an explosive in situations where a very insensitive explosive is needed. 

Interest in polynitroarylenes has resumed over the past few decades as the demand for thermally stable explosives with a low sensitivity to impact has increased. This is mainly due to advances in military weapons technology but also for thermally demanding commercial applications i.e. oil well exploration, space programmes etc. Explosives like 1,3-diamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (DATB) (13), l,3,5-triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (TATB) (14), 3,3 -diamino-2,2, 4,4, 6,6 -hexanitrobiphenyl (DIPAM) (15), 2,2, 4,4, 6,6 -hexanitrostilbene(HNS, VOD 7120 m/s, = 1.70 g/cm ) (16) and A,A -bis(l,2,4-triazol-3-yl)-4,4 -diamino-2,2, 3,3, 5,5, 6,6 -octanitroazobenzene (BTDAONAB) (17) fall into this class. TATB is the benchmark for thermal and impact insensitive explosives and finds wide use for military, space and nuclear applications. 

Thermally insensitive explosives from halide displacement with nitrogen nucleophiles... 

The thermally insensitive explosive (112) is synthesized by a similar route from the reaction of l,3-dichloro-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (106) (styphnyl chloride) with two equivalents of 3-chloroaniline, followed by nitration and subsequent displacement of the chloro groups with... 

Amino derivatives of polynitrobiphenyls often exhibit high thermal stability. The thermally insensitive explosive (156) is synthesized in three synthetic steps from 3,5-dimethoxychlorobenzene (154) in a route employing nitration, Ullmann coupling and ammonolysis. 3,3 -Diamino-2,2, 4,4, 6,6 -hexanitrobiphenyl (DIPAM) (157) is synthesized from 3-chloroanisole by a similar route. DIPAM (m.p. 304 °C, d = 1.82 g/cm ) is... 

Dinitroimidazole (2,4-DNI) (15) is readily prepared from the nitration of 2-nitroimidazole. "" 2,4-DNI exhibits moderate performance and is regarded as a shock insensitive explosive. The relatively low cost and facile synthesis makes 2,4-DNI a realistic... 

The tetraazapentalene ring system forms the core of the thermally insensitive explosive TACOT (Section 7.10) and so its fusion with the furoxan ring would be expected to enhance thermal stability and lead to energetic compounds with a high density, y-DBBD (95) is prepared from the nitration of tetraazapentalene (91), nucleophilic displacement of the o-nitro groups with azide anion, further nitration to (94), followed by furoxan formation on heating in o-dichlorobenzene at reflux. The isomeric explosive z-DBBD (96) has been prepared via a similar route. ... 

The direct nitration of 2,6-diaminopyridine (168) with mixed acid yields 2,6-diamino-3,5-dinitropyridine (ANPy) (173). Oxidation of ANPy (173) with peroxyacetic acid yields ANPyO (174) (calculated VOD 7840 m/s, d = 1.88 g/crc ) C-Amination of ANPyO (174) with hydroxylamine hydrochloride in aqueous base yields the triamine (175), an impact insensitive explosive of high thermal stability. ... 

C. L. Coon, M. F. Foils, P F. Pagoria and R. L. Simpson, A New Insensitive Explosive that is Low Cost 2,4-Dinitroimidazole , LLNL Report 1-7, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA. 

M. P. Kramer, W. P. Norris andD. J. Vanderah, CL-14, a High Performance Insensitive Explosive , NWC TP 6555 (1989), Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, CA. 

RDX etc. For insensitive explosives such as TNT, ANFO etc an intermediate booster charge (PETN, RDX, Tetryl, NG Dynamites etc) may be necessary between the primer charge and the main charge. For details, see Minimum Priming Charges in Vol 8 Booster in Vol 2, pp 243-246 Contact Detonation Sensitivity Test in Vol 4, pp D186-190 and the added reference of C. H. Johansson T. Sjolin, ONR SympDet (1965) p 435... 

Division 1.1 Explosives with a mass explosion hazard Division 1.2 Explosives with a projection hazard Division 1.3 Explosives with predominantly a fire hazard Division 1.4 Explosives with no significant blast hazard Division 1.5 Very insensitive explosives blasting agents... 

Some years ago, French scientists reported DINGU [Structure (2.40)] as an insensitive explosive but subsequently lost interest in it due to its poor performance (VOD 7580ms"1 and density 1.99 gem"3). It is easy to prepare DINGU (by nitration of the condensation product of glyoxal with urea) at a low cost which makes it very attractive [168]. Based on their studies, Cobum and co-workers called this an IHE. It is of course, somewhat more sensitive than TATB but it is much less sensitive than HMX [169]. The data of Coburn and co-workers are in agreement with the findings of Chinese workers who prepared PBXs of DINGU, TNT and... 

A number of explosives for various applications have been synthesized, characterized for structural aspects, thermal and explosive properties by us in India and are being evaluated [193-198] for their intended end-use. The evaluation of BTATNB [Structure (2.27)] indicates that it is slightly more thermally stable than PATO [Structure (2.24)] coupled with better insensitivity toward impact and friction [71]. The data on thermal and explosive properties of some aromatic nitrate esters suggest that l,3,5-tris(2-nitroxyethyl nitramino)-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene [Structure (2.54)] is a potential substitute of PETN [193]. An explosive called 2,4,6-tris (3,5 -diamino-2, 4, 6 -trinitrophenylamino)-l,3,5-triazene [designated as PL-1 Structure (2.55)] is a new thermally stable and insensitive explosive which on comparison with TATB suggests that it is slightly inferior to TATB [Structure... 

PADNT 198-201 1.85 135 6628 Useful for safe and insensitive explosive/ propellant formulations... 

TATB/Kel-F800 (90/10 wt.%) is best in terms of thermal stability coupled with a respectable performance [200]. Similarly, PBXs based on TATB, HMX and Kel-F800 are available, and sensitivity data on TATB/HMX-based PBXs clearly show that insensitivity rapidly decreases with increasing HMX content, even at relatively low levels of HMX. Evidently, some trade-off must be made between VOD and safety [201] (Table 2.5). Further, sensitivity and thermal test data (Table 2.6) also indicate that TATB-based formulations rank as the most insensitive explosive formulations [202]. 

Insensitive Munitions and Some New Insensitive Explosives/Formulations... 

High Performance, Thermally Stable and Insensitive Explosives... 

Jackson, R.K., and Weingart, R.C. (1976) Detonation properties of the insensitive explosive TATB. Chem. Abstr., 85, 179841e. 

Lochert, I.J. (2001) FOX-7 a new insensitive explosive. DSTO, Australian Aeronautical and Maritime Research Laboratory (AAMRL), Technical Report No. DSTO-TR-1238, Nov. 

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