Single base propellants

Sporting ammunition describes rifle and handgun ammunition for hunting and target practice. Commercial hunting bullets, ranging in size from around 6 to 12mm, may differ from the conical shape of military bullets in that they 

Artillery ammunition for guns, howitzers, cannons, and mortars ranges upwards in calibre from the 20mm limit that generally divides it from small-arms ammunition. Artillery ammunition is divided into three types  

Large-calibre artillery ammunition permits a more complex payload including high explosives, bursters, shrapnel, bursting charges, fuzes, incendiaries, etc. 

In addition to catalysts, stabilizers, opacifiers (to reduce heat radiation ahead of the flame), flash depressants, plasticizers, and binders, the main fuel and oxidizers for rocket propellants include 

While the term missile can apply to any projectile ammunition, guided missiles describes those rockets whose course or trajectory is controlled electronically by computers and communications equipment. 

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Pure nitroglycerin is a stable Hquid at temperate conditions. It decomposes above 60°C to form nitric oxides which in turn catalyze further decomposition. Moisture increases the rate of decomposition under these conditions. Double- and multibase propellants containing nitroglycerin have substantially shorter stabiHty Hves at 65 and 80°C than do single-base propellants. The decomposition of nitroglycerin proceeds as... 

Single-base propellants are mixed in a similar fashion by adding the ingredients to the nitrocellulose in the mixer together with the required amounts of ether and alcohol. The mixing time is about one-half hour, and the temperature is kept below 25°C. The pardy colloidal mixture looks like moist cmde sugar. A maceration step may be included to increase homogeneity. 

Continuous Solvent—Extrusion Process. A schematic for a typical continuous process, widely used for making solvent propellant for cannons, is shown in Figure 7. This continuous process produces ca 1100 metric tons of single-base propellant per month at the U.S. Army Ammunition Plant (Radford, Virginia). Continuous processes have also been developed for double- and triple-base propellants and for stick as well as granular geometries. A principal aspect of these processes has been the extensive use of single- and double-screw extmders instead of the presses used in the batch process. 

Fig. 7. Continuous process for solvent-extmded single-base propellant (automated single-base line). Vey = conveyor.

Single base propellants are basically nitrocellulose which has been made colloidal by the action of solvent. 

Single base propellant. Propellant based on nitrocellulose without the inclusion of nitroglycerine. 

Single-base propellants, 10 725 Single-carbon insertion reactions in organoboranes, 13 654—657 Single-cell drum filters, 11 357 Single-cell protein(s) (SCP), 13 688,16 315, 26 474... 

Single-base propellants are made from NC that is gelatinized with the solvents ethanol or diethyl ether. A small amount of diphenylamine, (C6H )2NH, is also... 

Table 4.8 Physicochemical properties of a single-base propellant.

Of these, the most successful appeared in 1887 when Alfred Nobel patented a nitrocellulose propellant plasticised with nitroglycerine. Known as a double-base propellant, it is virtually smokeless, with a very high specific impulse as compared to gunpowder. Single-base propellants were developed in 1865 and 1890 by Schultz and Vieille respectively and these took the form of gelatinised nitrocellulose for use in firearms and mortars. 

Single Base Propellant. See under Propellants and in Ref 44, p C31-R under CANNON PROPELLANTS... 

A. Polveri alia sola nitrocellulosa a solvente volatile o Polveri a una base (Single Base Propellants with Volatile Solvent). To these belong a proplnt listed by Giorgio, p 205 as Polvere italiana per cartucce cal 8 per mitragliatrice, which contd NC (12.8% N) 97, Centralite 2... 

A) Nitrocellulose or Single-Base Propellants (Shokayaku) contd NC (Nitrocellulose) (ca 12.5% N) 98 DPhA (Diphenylamine) 2%. 

T. Suzuki et al, Small-Arms Single-Base Propellant Charge , USP 3442213 (1969) CA 71,118(1969)... 

Ethanol, Ether and Water Determination in Single-Base Propellants by US Army Munition Command Method T 103.5 entitled Total Volatiles, Gas Chromatographic Method.. The method is described in MIL-STD-2688, 30 June 1971... 

Ethanol -i- Ether, as "Residual Solvent" Determination in Single-Base Propellants (US Ordnance Methods). Determine the percentage of total volatiles (Solvents + Moisture), then of moisture and subtract percentage of moisture from percent of total volatiles to obtain residual solvent... 

For determination of Moisture in single-base propellants, three methods can be used ... 

Uses of Ether. One of the important applications of ether is in manuf of single-base propellants whece it is used in 2 1 mixture (by wt) with ethanol. The procedure is described in Vol 3 of Encycl, p C399, under Colloiding Agents and Colloidal Propellants... 

Single-Base Propellants Double-Base Propellant... 

It was adopted by the US Ordnance Dept (Ref 2), but the temperatures of the test were 120° for double-base propellants and 134.5° for single-base propellants for NC s (Ref 3). Litmus paper was originally used in this test (Refs 1 8c 2) but later this was changed id methyl violet paper and the test was called the Methyl Violet Test Apparatus ... 

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