More powerful explosives

Explosives are classed as primary or secondary. Typically, a small quantity of a primary explosive would be used in a detonator (known colloquially as a cap ), whereas larger quantities of secondary explosives are used in the booster and the main charge of a device. This collection of explosives is known as an explosive train in which a signal (mechanical, thermal, or electrical) from the control system is converted first into a small explosive shock from the detonator, which in turn initiates a more powerful explosion in the booster, which amplifies the shock into the main charge. 

Trinitrobenzene (TNB) (2) is a more powerful explosive than TNT. However, the direct synthesis of TNB from benzene is not practical and the need for an indirect route for its synthesis makes its manufacture too expensive for use as a practical high explosive. 

Both 1,3-DNB and 1,3,5-TNB have been used for their explosive properties (HSDB 1994). 1,3-DNB has been suggested as a possible substitute for the explosive TNT (HSDB 1994). 1,3-DNB has been used as a camphor substitute in nitrocellulose, a compound used in explosive and propellants (HSDB 1994 Sax and Lewis 1987). 1,3-DNB was manufactured during both world wars as a component in the explosive roburite (ERA 1976). 1,3,5-TNB has been classified as a high explosive and has been used in military and commercial explosive compositions (Merck 1989 Sax and Lewis 1987). A more powerful explosive than TNT, 1,3,5-TNB is less sensitive than TNT to impact (Merck 1989). 1,3,5-TNB has also been used as an explosive for oil wells and mining operations (OHM/TADS 1991). 

Nobel developed gelatinous dynamite in 1875 by making a jelly from the dissolution of a collodion-type nitrocotton in NG, producing a more powerful explosive than the straight dynamite and one that proved to be safer. Later ammonium nitrate was also used in dynamite, which made it even safer and less expensive to produce. 

Tuerpe, D., and Osborn, J. (1997) Demonstration of Enhanced Warhead Performance with More Powerful Explosives, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Preprint, UCRL-JC-127575, Dec. 

Between World War I and II, TNT replaced picric acid as the explosive of choice in munitions. It was also mixed with other compounds to produce more powerful explosives with unique characteristics. Amatol is a mixture containing between 40% and 80% ammonium nitrate and TNT. Pentolite is a mixture of PETN (pentaerythritol tetranitrate) and TNT. Another common explosive mixture is RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine) and TNT. RDX is an abbreviation for Royal Demolition Explosive. 

Urbanski, Kapuscinski and Wojciechowski [41] showed that nitrourea is a more powerful explosive than nitroguanidine. Its lead block expansion is 310 cm3. 

Lenze [44] was the first to examine the explosive properties of tetryl. It is a more powerful explosive than TNT (its strength, depending on the method of investigation applied, ranges between 110 and 130% of that of TNT). Its sensititiveness to impact and friction, particularly to rifle fire, is higher than that of TNT. 

It was prepared in a similar manner by nitrating a mixture of nitroxylenes with dinitromethylaniline and mixing it with TNT. This mixture melts at 80°C and is a more powerful explosive than TNT, but it requires a stronger detonator. 

This proved to be a more powerful explosive than blackpowder and burned with less smoke. Shortly afterwards it was used in Germany for small calibre naval guns. 

A more powerful explosive, also intended for demolition charges, was Comp C-4 or Harrisite, also developed by Ottoson. Its detailed description is given in Vol 3 of fencycl (Ref 64, p C485... 

After World War I, major research programmes were inaugurated to find new and more powerful explosive materials. From these programmes came cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine [(RDX) (C3H6N606)] also called Cyclonite or Hexogen, and pentaerythritol tetranitrate [(PETN) (C5H8N4012)]. 

Research and development continued throughout World War II to develop new and more powerful explosives and explosive compositions. Torpex (TNT/RDX/aluminium) and cyclotetramethylenetetranit-ramine, known as Octogen [(HMX) (C4H8N8Og)], became available at... 

Aminomethane perchlorate is a more powerful explosive than TNT(Trauzl test value 160% of TNT) but much more sensitive to impact, comparable to LA. Its vel of deton is 7540 m/sec at d 1.68 and 6600 at d 1.565-Corresponding pressures of gases developed at expin are 1000 and 750kg/cm2... 

HMX has usually been associated with the better known explosive RDX (242, R = N02), with which it has usually been admixed. RDX has been regarded as a somewhat more powerful explosive (67MI1), but HMX is... 

As the highest rate of detonation under the above condition, 7000 m/sec for both forms has been taken. Thus, ammonium picrate should be considered as a somewhat more powerful explosive than TNT. 

It is a more powerful explosive than hexyl or picryl sulphide, mainly due to a more favourable oxygen balance, and also surpasses picric acid. Its sensitivity to impact is of the order of tetryl. 

Haussermann [22] pointed out that hexyl is a more powerful explosive than TNT. Further investigations yielded the following data on the explosive properties of the substance (Kast [27]) ... 

Hexanitroazobenzene is a more powerful explosive than hexyl, being of the same order as tetryl. Sensitivity to impact is also similar to that of tetryl. 

First made in 1847, nitroglycerine was found to be a much more powerful explosive than black powder, which is a physical mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. In black powder, potassium nitrate is the oxidizer, and sulfur and charcoal provide the fuel to be oxidized. The rate of a black powder explosion is limited by how... 

This compound can be prepared from dinitrochlorobenzene and hydrazine. The tetranitrohydrazobenzene, which is obtained as an intermediate product, is treated with mixed acid, yielding hexanitroazobenzene by simultaneous oxidation and nitration. It is a more powerful explosive than hexanitrodiphenylamine. 

Hexanitrodiphenyl oxide is soluble in water, but is sparingly soluble in alcohol and ether. It is a very stable compound, which is less sensitive to impact, bat is a more powerful explosive than picric acid. It is prepared by nitrating dinitro-, trinitro-, tetranitro- and pentanitro-substi-tuted diphenyl ether with mixed acid. 

The calculated detonation parameters as well as the equations of state for the detonation products (EOS DP) of the explosive materials TKX-50 and MAD-X1 (and also for several of their derivatives) were obtained using the computer program EXPL05 V.6.01. These values were also calculated for standard explosive materials which are commonly used such as TNT, PETN, RDX, HMX, as well as for the more powerful explosive material CL-20 for comparison. The determination of the detonation parameters and EOS DP was conducted both for explosive materials having the maximum crystalline density, and for porous materials of up to 50 % in volume. The influence of the content of the plastic binder which was used (polyisobutylene up to 20 % in volume) on all of the investigated properties was also examined. 

Uses In bursting charges for shells in mixtures with more powerful explosives or with an oxygen-carrier. 

After World War I, research in the area of explosives was concentrated on the development of new and more powerful explosive materials. For example, cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (CsHgNeOe), known as RDX, 5, and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) (C5HSN4O4), 6, were among the newly discovered explosives. 

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