Munition

Recent developments of novel explosive materials have concentrated on reducing the sensitivity of the explosive materials to accidental initiation by shock, impact and thermal effects. The explosive materials, which have this reduced sensitivity, are call Insensitive Munitions, (IM). Although these explosive materials are insensitive to accidental initiation they still perform very well when suitably initiated. Examples of some explosive molecules under development are presented in Table 1.5. A summary of the significant discoveries in the history of explosives throughout the world is presented in Table 1.6. 

Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program continuous steam treater Chemical Weapons Convention 

Demonstration I (demonstration testing of the initial three technologies selected for the first phase of ACWA technology testing) 

General Atomics Total Solution (technology package) a nerve agent 

Holston Army Ammunition Plant distilled mustard agent heated discharge conveyor high-efficiency particulate air (filter) hydrofluoric acid 

Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System 

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The sound pressure P was produced at the point D by the ultrasonic sound source which was generated at the point B in "n" order of the munite area AA by the incident beam. The sound pressure P is given by the equation(l)... 

Soil. Composting of soils contaminated by high explosives is being carried out at the Umatilla Army Depot near Hermiston, Oregon (70). Soil from munitions washout lagoons is being treated iadoors ia compost rows of 2,000 m, and the estimated cost is less than one-third the estimated cost of iaciaeration. If this is successful, there are 30 similar sites on the National Priority List that could be treated ia a similar way. 

Many compounds explode when triggered by a suitable stimulus however, most are either too sensitive or fail to meet cost and production-scale standards, requirements for safety in transportation, and storage stability. Propellants and explosives in large-scale use are based mosdy on a relatively small number of well-proven iagredients. Propellants and explosives for military systems are manufactured ia the United States primarily ia government owned plants where they are also loaded iato munitions. Composite propellants for large rockets are produced mainly by private iadustry, as are small arms propellants for sporting weapons. 

PoIIuta.ntReduction. Pollutants from explosives are primarily produced by waste from the explosives manufacture, such as the acids used ia nitration (qv). Pollutants may also be produced dufing iacorporation of the explosives ia munitions, ia the use of iadustrial explosives, and ia clean-up and disposal operations. Table 4 fists the most common types of pollutants found ia the manufacture of explosives, as well as effects and various procedures for reduction (41—54). 

Demilitarization and Disposal of Explosive Material. An important consequence of international agreements to greatiy reduce the stockpiles of conventional and nuclear munitions is the intensification of a program to develop procedures to destroy, recycle, and/or reclaim explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnic material efficientiy and without significant environmental impact. 

The procedures commonly used to demilitari2e conventional munitions iaclude munitions disassembly, washout or steamout of explosives from projectiles and warheads, iaciaeration of reclaimed explosives, and open burning or detonation. Open burning and detonation of large quantities of... 

A wide variety of special-purpose incinerators (qv) with accompanying gas scmbbers and soHd particle collectors have been developed and installed in various demilitarisation faciUties. These include flashing furnaces that remove all vestiges of explosive from metal parts to assure safety in handling deactivation furnaces, to render safe small arms and nonlethal chemical munitions fluidized-bed incinerators that bum slurries of ground up propellants or explosives in oil and rotary kilns to destroy explosive and contaminated waste and bulk explosive. 

B. W. Je2ek, "Suppressive Shielding for Ha2ardous Munitions Production Operations" in Symposium on Processing Propellants, Explosives, and Ingredients, American Defense Preparedness Association (ADPA), Washington, D.C., 1977. 

B. H. Carpenter and co-workers. Specific Air Pollutantsfrom Munitions Processing andTheir Atmospheric Behavior, 4 Vols., Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, N.C., 1978. 

S. Rosenberg and J. Carray2a, Conventional Munition Demilitari tion andDisposal private communication, ARDEC, Dover, N.J. (iacludes ahst of activities at all U.S. government facilities). 

Pollution Abatement and Conservation of Energy Review for Munitions Plant Modemi tion, TR 2210, PTA, Dover, N.J., 1976. 

C. H. Detding and co-workers. Insensitive Munitions Characteristics ofAirEaunched In-Service Weapons Summay Keport of Fast Cook-offTimes, Reactions and Ha iards of Bombs, Pockets, Aircraft Guns, Air EaunchedMissiles, Mines and Torpedoes, Naval Weapons Center, China Lake, Calif., Sept. 1989. 

K. C. Schenk and Andrew Krause, Eessons Teamed deterioration of Munitions Stored Under Extreme Conditions (Bulk Ship Cargo, etc.), ARDC-LL-86002, ARDEC, Dover, N.J., July 1986. 

There is a drive to develop insensitive or less sensitive munitions, ie, those less likely to accidental or sympathetic detonation. A leading candidate is 3-nitro-l,2,4-triazolin-5-one [930-33-6] (59), made by the reaction of semicarbazide and formic acid to give l,2,4-triazolin-5-one [932-64-9] foUowed by nitration of the triazolone (218). 

Toxic chemical munitions have unique characteristics in comparison to other weapons systems, reaching personnel both widely dispersed and concentrated in fortifications, ie, gases and aerosols are not bound by corners. These materials can penetrate crevices reaching personnel physically protected from high explosives. In addition, toxic chemicals are minimum-destmction weapons as regards matHriel (5). 

Some of the criteria used in the selection of a suitable agent are effectiveness in extremely small concentrations time to onset of action effectiveness through various routes of entry into the body, such as the respiratory tract, eyes, and skin stability in long-term storage and ease of dissernination in feasible munitions. 

Its primary military appHcation is to restrict the use of terrain or lower the mobiHty of opposing personnel in a contaminated area. It is volatile enough to be effective as a vapor in warm weather. Relatively modest expenditures of munitions yield severely incapacitating vapor dosages within less than an hour (6). 

A third screening smoke-type is white phosphoms [7723-14-0] (WP), P (see Phosphorus and THE phosphides), which reacts spontaneously with air and water vapor to produce a dense cloud of phosphoms pentoxide [1314-56-3]. An effective screen is obtained as the P2O5 hydrolyzes to form droplets of dilute phosphoric acid aerosol. WP produces smoke in great quantity, but it has certain disadvantages. Because WP has such a high heat of combustion, the smoke it produces from bulk-filled munitions has a tendency to rise in pillarlike mass. This behavior too often nullifies the screening effect, particularly in stiU air. Also, WP is very brittle, and the exploding munitions in which it is used break it into very small particles that bum rapidly. 

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). 

The comparisons with experimental distributions would be incomplete without examining some exploding munitions data. Data of this type have been published by Mock and Holt (1983) in which explosive-filled cylinders of armco iron and several heat-treated steels were detonated, and the fragments collected and analyzed. A cumulative number distribution from one of the heat-treated steel experiments is shown in Fig. 8.33. The trend of the data in this example is typical of the six experiments performed by them. 

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