Military explosives development

DEVELOPMENT OF MILITARY EXPLOSIVES Development of Picric Acid... 

Ref K.G. Ottoson, Development of Military Explosives Equivalent to Commercial Dynamites , PATR 1760 (1950)... 

From the days of Nobel to about 1950 the scientific basis of commercial explosives remained relatively unchanged, although continuous and numerous improvements in manufacturing methods occurred throughout the world. There were, however, many advances in military explosives, note of which will be made later. These advances were, of course, largely due to the two world wars, which occurred since the death of Alfred Nobel. There were also many advances in the development of permitted explosives designed for use in gassy coal mines. 

Haeussermann, Carl (1853-1918). German scientist specializing in explosives. In 1891 he developed ah industrial method of preparing TNT and recommended its use as a military explosive. Ref C. von Hell, SS 13, 325-27 (1918)... 

WWII. Ethylenedinitramine, EDNA or Haleite, first prepd in 1887 by Franchimont Klobbie and developed in 1935 as a military explosive by G.C. Hale, was standardized during WWII as a component of EDNATOL (EDNA+TNT) serving as bursting charge for bombs and shells (Ref 70, pp 131-R and 154). See also Vol 6 of Encycl, pp E238ff... 

Anon, Military Explosives , Dept of the Army Technical Manual TM 9—1300—214, Nov 1967, pp 2-4 to 2-6 (Development of Military Explosives and Propellants)... 

Kiernan and Bowen Explosive. An expl mixt developed by Kiernan Bowen of New Orleans, La, contg Na chlorate 75, turpentine 10, bone-meal 10 dried blood 5%. It was concluded that this expl had no value from a military standpoint because of its low brisance, high degree of sensitivity to impact, and the ease with which it lost turpentine, which resulted in decreased sensitivity to initiating agents Ref A.J. Phillips, Study of Sodium Chlorate Explosive Developed by Kiernan and Bowen , PATR 1277 (April 1943)... 

During die period 1920—1941 extended research was conducted by the Ordnance Department to develop small arms explosive bullets. No round was developed which functioned with complete satisfaction in a hot machine gun barrel, the decomposition temperature of all known military explosives is lower than the temperature encountered in the combat firing of small arms machine guns. The nearest approach to a satisfactory explosive cartridge was the TI Pomeroy type... 

Ref Bruce Anderson, Ordn 53, 6l3—15(1969) Note Asrrolires are liquid military expls developed by the Explosives Corp of America, Issaquah, Washington. Their compos are based on Hydrazine... 

Volatility or readiness with which a substance vaporizes, is an undesirable characteristic for military explosives. Explosives must be no more than slightly volatile at the temperature at which they are loaded or at the highest storage temperature. Excessive volatility often results in the development of pressure within the rounds of ammunition and separation of mixtures into their constituents. Volatility also affects chemical composition of the explosive resulting in the marked reduction in stability leading to an increase in the danger of handling. 

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) was the most commonly used conventional military explosive during the twentieth century. Although it had been used extensively in the dye industry during late 1800s, it was not adopted for use as a military explosive until 1902, when the German army used it to replace picric acid. TNT was first used in warfare during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905). The US Army began its use in 1912. After an economical process was developed for the nitration of toluene, TNT became the chief artillery ammunition in World War I (1914—1918). The most valuable property of TNT is that it can be safely melted and cast alone or with other explosives as a slurry. 

PATR 2374(1957) by H.W. Voigt dealt with development of Low-Velocity Military Explosives equivalent to Commercial Dynamites. The following Low-Velocity Dynamite (LVD) is described in AMCP 706-177 (Ref 66), pl22-24 Composition of LVD TNT 67.8, TPE (Tripenta-erythritol) 8.6, (99-5/0.5 -RDX/l-MA dye) 17.5, (68/32 — Vistac No l/DOS) binder 4.1 Cellulose acetate (Grade LH-1, thru 40 mesh) 2.0%... 

In addition to the explosives mentioned above, before and during WWII, the Germans developed and used several new explosives and explosive mixtures which. cannot be called substitutes (Ersatzsprengstoffe) because they were more powerful than the previously used military explosives, such as TNT and PA. These new powerful explosives included PETN and RDX, as well as various mixtures containing these substances... 

It was concluded that the Chlorate expl offered no promise for use in military ammo Ref W.R. Tomlinson, Chlorate Explosives Developed by the Universal Powder Company , PATR 1230 (1943)... 

Army. 1986d. Database assessment of the pollution control in the military explosives and propellants production industry. Frederick, MD U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, Fort Detrick. Document no. AD ORNL-6202. 

Military pyrotechnics are closely connected with the field of military explosives they are used in many special types of ammunition and munition and also in such devices as flares, rockets, and smoke pots. With the tremendous development of the military air forces the importance of obscuring smokes and incendiary activities has been greatly... 

The development of military explosives started approximately since the discovery of black powder. In 1885, Tbrpin discovered picric acid or trini-trophenol, 2, that was found to be a suitable replacement for black powder. 

BASF, on the other hand, concentrated more on the manufacture of standard dyes, and produced much more of the basic intermediates, both organic and inorganic. Of the Big Three, BASE was the leader in chemical engineering and process innovation. Between 1903 and 1913, two of its chemists—Fritz Haber as the discoverer and Carl Bosch as the co-developer—pioneered a way to produce nitrates from air that became the basic ingredients for fertilizers and military explosives. 

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