Single-base smokeless powder

Some specialized uses of PETN are summarized below. Expendable cartridges for small arms are made by coating unglazed grains or single base smokeless powder with PETN, spraying with plasticized thermoplastic binder and compression molding to the desired shape (Ref 99). Tucker et al (Ref 85) describe a spark detonator without primary expls. Secondary... 

HI 17—34. Black Powder is no longer used as a proplnt, but it is still used in igniters for SP The next stage in the development of SP, namely the early development of single base smokeless powder, followed the discovery of Nitrocellulose (NC). We quote Urbanski (Ref 46a, p 528) ... 

Single base" smokeless powder, developed mainly in the United States, uses only nitrocellulose. "Double base" smokeless powder, developed in Europe, is a blend of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine. "Cordite," a British development, consists of 65% NC, 30% NG, and 5% mineral jelly. The mineral jelly (a hydrocarbon material) functions as a coolant and produces substantial amounts of CO 2, CO, and H 2O gas to improve the propellant characteristics. "Triple base" smokeless powder, containing nitroguanidine as a third component with nitroglycerine and nitrocellulose is also manufactured. 

Fig. 7. Headspace SPME-GC/MS of selected single-based smokeless powders (1 = 2,6-dinitrotoluene, 2 = 2,4-dinitrotoluene, 3 = diphenylamine, 4 = 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, 5 = ethyl centralite).

The experiment with the MKIII ballistic mortar were run on smokeless powder because the powder is a problem to transport, there are three kinds of smokeless gun powder single base gun powder, double base gun powder and triple base gun powder. 

Single-base nitrocellulose powder is the oldest of all types of NC powders and is often referred to as smokeless powder. It is prepared by reacting cellulose with nitric acid. 

Single base A smokeless powder that contains nitrocellulose, but does not contain nitroglycerin or nitroguanidine. 

Smokeless powder A low explosive used in ammunition as a propellant, which can be single, double, or triple based. 

In Russia, Mendeleyev [12] worked out a method for the manufacture of smokeless powder from pyrocellulose, i.e. relatively high-nitrated (12.5% N) nitrocellulose soluble in a mixture of ether and alcohol. In 1892 the manufacture of this powder was started for naval guns. Nitrocellulose powder of this type was soon adopted for military purposes in the U.S.A., where nitrocellulose powder became known as single base powder . 

Smokeless powder, as the name suggests, is a replacement propellant that does not produce the volumes of smoke associated with the combustion of black powder. Smokeless powders are classified into single, double, or triple based, according to the energetic materials included during production. The single-based propellants use only... 

High explosives may be class d according to their physical properties as powdery, meltable, semi-meltable and plastic. Propellants may be grouped on the basis of chemical composition into gun powder and similar mixtures, nitrocellulose (single base) and nitroglycerine (double base) powders, With respect to their uses and some properties they are divided into black powder, smokeless and flashless powders, and rocket propellants. 

The propellant which has exclusively been used for a long time in conventional military weapons is the smokeless (or, more accurately, low-smoke) powder. According to its composition, it can be classified as single-base powders (e.g., nitrocellulose powder), doublebase powders (e.g., nitroglycerine powder) and triple-base powders (e.g., nitrocellulose + nitroglycerine (or diglycol dinitrate) + nitroguanidine powders). 

For Properties and Uses, see Guncotton, Pyrocotton, Collodion Cotton, Smokeless Powder, Single-Base Powder, Double-Base Powder, Ball Powder. 

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