Tetryl explosive power

VIII. Explosive Characteristics. Picric Acid is generally considered to be a relatively insensi tive but brisant expl. On a qualitative sensitivity scale of comparing common expls, PA would be judged to be more sensitive than TNT but appreciably less sensitive than Tetryl. Its power and brisance are also similar to those of TNT (112% TNT in the Ballistic Mortar 101% of TNT in the Trauzl Block and 107% in the plate dent test (Ref 48). In this section we will consider the steady detonation parameters. initiation characteristics and potential hazards of PA... 

According to a number of authors, the explosive power of tetryl, determined in the lead block, varies between 340 and 390 cm3, i.e. between 114 and 120% of the value for picric acid. 

The explosive power of tetryl at a loading density of 0.3, was compared with that of other explosives in a manometric bomb by Koehler [51] who determined the following pressure values from which the temperatures of explosion have been computed ... 

Romburgh [3] was the first to prepare this substance both by nitrating ethyl-aniline and by nitrating diethylaniline. It is comparable to tetryl in its physical and chemical properties. As an explosive it is weaker than tetryl. Its sensitiveness to impact and its explosive power, measured in the lead block, are somewhat greater than those of picric acid. 

The substance is fairly stable. It resembles tetryl in its explosive power, but is more like penthrite in its sensitiveness to impact. 

It is an explosive comparable to Tetryl in power and in impact sensitiviry Refs 1) Beil, not found 2) Canadian Explosive Project CE-12, covering the period fcom April 1 to June 1, 1942, (Jniv of Toronto, sponsored by the CNRC (Canadian National Research Council) 3) A.H. Blatt, OSRD 2014(1944)... 

With regard to explosive power and sensitiveness to impact tetranitroaniline does not differ from tetryl. However, because of its poor stability it has not found any practical use. 

The compound has a high initiation temperature (345°C). However, because of its susceptibility to hydrolysis its chemical stability is too low for it to be used as an explosive, although its explosive power is somewhat higher than that of TNT. Its sensitivity to impact is similar to that of tetryl. 

Hexanitroethane gives a lead block expansion of 180 cm3. It is more difficult to explode by impact than picric acid. With TNT or tetryl (in stoichiometric ratio) it forms exceptionally powerful explosives. Since it has the ability of gelatinizing nitrocellulose the Koln-Rottweil powder factory [89] tried to use it as a smokeless powder component to increase the explosive power of the latter. However, because of the high production costs of hexanitroethane, it has not found a practical use. In addition, its chemical stability is rather low when heated it begins to decompose at 75°C. 

Whether it is a -C-NO2, -O-NO2, or -N-NO2 link, all these structural features yield substances that are high explosives. Nitroglycerine, cyclonite, pentaerythrytol tetranitrate, tetryl, trinitrobenzene, trinitro-tolnene, and pentanitroaniline are examples of high explosives. The terms high explosives and low explosives are used for qualitative comparisons only. The explosive power of chemicals or their compositions is determined by their brisance and detonation velocity (see. Part A in Section IV). 

For both technical and economic reasons, current detonators contain a base charge of high explosive which provides the main initiating power of the device. The most satisfactory high explosives for use as base charges are PETN, tetryl and RDX, and of these the first is by far the commonest, because of its sensitiveness and relatively low cost. 

Secondary explosives (also known as high explosives) are different from primary explosives in that they cannot be detonated readily by heat or shock and are generally more powerful. Secondary explosives can be initiated to detonation only by a shock produced by the explosion of a primary explosive. Widely used secondary explosives include trinitrotoluene (TNT), tetryl, picric acid, nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine, nitroguanidine, cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX), cyclotetramethylenetetranit-... 

A number of important explosives contain nitramino functionality in conjunction with nitrate ester or C-nitro functionality. A-Nitrodiethanolamine dinitrate (DINA) (7) is a powerful explosive which can be melt-cast into charges. A,2,4,6-Tetranitro-A-methylaniline (tetryl) (8) exhibits high brisance (VOD 7920 m/s, d = 1.73 g/cm ) and has found application in both detonators and boosters, in addition to being a component of some composite high explosives. 

Numerous aromatic nitramines have been synthesized but only A,2,4,6-tetranitro-A-methylaniline (tetryl) and l-(2-nitroxyethylnitramino)-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene (pentryl) have found practical use as explosives. Both tetryl and pentryl are more powerful than TNT. Tetryl is widely used in boosters and as a component of explosive formulations like tetrytol (tetryl/TNT), PTX-1 (tetryl/RDX/TNT) and Composition C-3 (tetryl/RDX/TNT/DNT/MNT/NC). 

N34.56%, OB—49.4% decomposes without ignition at 205° ignites immediately when dropped on a 350° surface. It is explosive is claimed to be about as impact sensitive as Tetryl (Figure of Insensitivity, FI, of 0.78). Its power is 136% PA. It is prepd by nitration of diendomethylene-tetrazacyclodecanemonohydrochloride,... 

Explosive of Iroda. An expl compn claimed to be as powerful as Tetryl or RDX, was prepd... 

Explosive Mixture of Methanol-Water-Magnesium (or Aluminum). On the basis of theoretical ealens of heat of evolution -t the author concludes that mixts of Mg or Al with water or ales are potentially more powerful expls than the usual military materials with MeOH-Mg giving max gas evolution. The experiments were conducted in bombs or lead enclosures with Tetryl detonators to... 

This is a powerful explosive, stronger than tetryl but weaker than cyclonite. It is, however, of no practical value chiefly because its preparation is too expensive, requiring first the conversion of methylamine into urethane and then into its nitro derivative. On hydrolysis the latter yields methylnitramine. Similarly, the hydrolysis of dinitrodimethyloxamide (p. 35) leads to the formation of methylnitramine. 

The substance possesses quite uncommon and valuable explosive properties. It is more powerful than tetryl, and considerably less sensitive to impact (as sensitive as picric acid). However, its acidic properties limit its use to a great extent. In this respect it resembles picric acid. Even so ethylenedinitramine, under the name of Haleite, has been accepted in the United States as a military explosive. During World War II, production in that country was carried out by the method outlined above according to eqn. (17)... 

It is a very powerful explosive, as reported by Naoum and Meyer [70]. It gives a lead block expansion of 395 cm3, i.e. similar to that of tetryl, but has the disadvantage of being highly sensitive to impact. 

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. 

The explosive properties of hexanitrodiphenyl-/ -hydroxynitraminoethyl nitrate are similar to those of pentryl. It is slightly more stable on heating its ignition temperature lies between 390 and 400°C. It is somewhat less sensitive to impact than pentryl and rather more powerful (by 3%) in the lead block test. It requires a stronger initiator than pentryl, tetryl or picric acid, but a weaker one than trinitrotoluene. 

The substance (I) is a moderately powerful explosive it gives an expansion of 250 cm3 in the lead block. It is less sensitive to impact than trinitrotoluene. Its ignition temperature (195-200°C) is about the same as that of tetryl. It forms inflammable salts. The lead, thallous and potassium salts bum violently with a sharp report. 

As an explosive the substance is very powerful. Its expansion in the lead block is about 500 cm3, j.e. its explosive strength is midway between that of tetryl and penthrite. At a density of 1.54 it detonates at a rate of 7500 m/sec. 

Modern detonators have a double filling, i.e. a charge of high explosive such as tetryl or penthrite at the bottom, initiated by a layer of mercury fulminate or fulminate-chlorate placed on top (Fig. 56b). In this way more powerful detonators have been produced for mining purposes, containing the following charges ... 

Aluminium detonators with lead azide and other explosives were used in the mining industry for some time, e.g. a No. 8 detonator, contained 1 g of tetryl and 0.3 g of a mixture of lead azide and lead styphnate. These were more powerful than those with a fulminate-tetryl charge, but the use of detonators with aluminium sheathing was soon forbidden in coal-mines due to the danger created by the burning of the aluminium. 

Heat of combustion (calcd) 812.6 kcal/mol Heat of explosion (calcd) 303.4 kcal/mol Impact sensitivity (FT) = Tetryl Power by ballistic mortar 129% TNT Power by Trauzl test 137% TNT Temp developed on expln (calcd) 3247 Thermal stability satisfactory This expl compd is not found in Beil or in CA... 

DINA is a very powerful expl, similar to NG in this respect. It is ca 150% as powerful as TNT, but much.more sensitive to impact, resembling Tetryl in this property. Explosive other props of recrystd DINA were detd and/or tabulated by Livingston Rinkenbach (Ref 2) ... 

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