TNT aluminium

During World War II, an improved process was developed for producing petroleum naphthas ensuring unlimited quantities of toluene. Purification techniques were improved for TNT. Composites mixtures of TNT-PETN, TNT-RDX, TNT-tetryl, TNT-ammonium picrate, TNT aluminium, etc., were prepared. 

TNT. Aluminium is also used in some commercial blasting explosives, particularly in water-based slurry explosives, which contain a high percentage of ammonium nitrate. 

TNT lelryl, TN T ammonium picrate. TNT aluminium, cfc. . wore prepared. ... 

Before mixing all these substances, grind and sieve them well. Power =1.5 TNT. The mixture of KCI03 with TNT, Aluminium powder and Vaseline and sugar... 

A proportion of finely divided aluminium is often added to TNT explosives in order to increase the power. As aluminium has also a sensitising effect, it is particularly useful in waterproofed compositions. Another power producing additive which is sometimes employed in large diameter charges where its slow reaction is of less disadvantage is calcium silicide. Care must be taken with this material, however, to ensure that it does not lead to sensitiveness to friction and impact. 

The first and still successful dense slurry was sensitised with TNT and therefore consisted of a suspension of TNT and solid ammonium nitrate in a solution of ammonium and sodium nitrates gelled with cross-linked guar gum. The TNT is preferably in the form of small pellets. No further fuel than the TNT is essential but aluminium can be added for increased... 

A different scenario involving these three occurred when lightning struck an aluminium foundry. It is supposed that this dispersed molten metal droplets in air, which then exploded with the estimated force of 200 kg TNT, causing damage which allowed remaining molten metal to fall into the wet casting pit, producing a second explosion of half the power of the first [2],... 

Mixtures of aluminium powder with liquid chlorine, dinitrogen tetraoxide or tetran-itromethane are detonable explosives, but not as powerful as aluminium-liquid oxygen mixtures, some of which exceed TNT in effect by a factor of 3 to 4 [1], Mixtures of the powdered metal and various bromates may explode on impact, heating or friction. Iodates and chlorates act similarly [2], Detonation properties of gelled slurries of aluminium powder in aqueous nitrate or perchlorate salt solutions have been studied [3], Reactions of aluminium powder with potassium chlorate or potassium perchlorate have been studied by thermal analysis [4],... 

Wasserhaltige Ammonsalpetersprengstoffe, die meistens Aluminium, zuweilen auch TNT als Komponenten enthalten, werden -> Spreng-schlamme ( Slurries ) genannt. 

During World War II cyclonite was used by all the combatants to increase the power of composite explosives. Fusible mixtures of TNT with cyclonite were prepared, mainly with an admixture of aluminium, and mixtures of TNT with hexyl and cyclonite also with admixture of aluminium (pp. 271-272). 

Originally the addition of aluminium was limited to explosives with a positive oxygen balance, i.e. mixtures containing a considerable amount of an oxygen carrier. However, during World War II, the Germans extended the use of aluminium by adding it to nitro compounds, for example to a mixture of TNT with hexyl. 

This would develop a considerable heat. Thus, replacing 15% of TNT-hexyl with aluminium would increase the heat of detonation from ca. 1000 kcal/kg to ca. 1400 kcal/kg [60]. 

The system ammonium nitrate, aluminium, nitro compound (e.g. TNT) would be expected to undergo gradual decomposition, e.g. that in stored shells and bombs filled with such mixtures changes would occur, leading to the oxidation of the aluminium. Obviously, a mixture containing oxidized aluminium has lower explosive power than the same mixture containing metallic aluminium. It was therefore very important to determine the mechanism of the oxidation of aluminium. It became apparent that this is caused by impurities in the ammonium nitrate, not by the... 

It is well known that ammonium nitrate evolves ammonia on storage, particularly in the presence of moisture. It was found that the amount of ammonia evolved in the presence of aluminium is much greater [63]. The evolution of ammonia is particularly undesirable in the mixtures containing TNT, as TNT reacts with ammonia to yield readily ignitable compounds (Vol. I, p. 304 see also [64]). 

During World War II the use of aluminium in military explosives was resumed on a wide scale. Thus sea mines and German torpedoes were loaded with a fusible mixture of hexyl and TNT supplemented by 10—25% of metallic aluminium (Trial). 

For filling V2 missiles Trialen, a mixture of TNT, cyclonite and aluminium, was used in Germany. 

In Great Britain a cast explosive Torpex was developed during World War II. It was composed of 41% of RDX, 41% of TNT and 18% of aluminium. It was used for filling torpedoes and bombs. 

Around 1902 the Germans and British had experimented with trinitrotoluene [(TNT) (C7H5N306)], first prepared by Wilbrand in 1863. The first detailed study of the preparation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene was by Beilstein and Kuhlberh in 1870, when they discovered the isomer 2,4,5-trinitrotoluene. Pure 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene was prepared in 1880 by Hepp and its structure established in 1883 by Claus and Becker. The manufacture of TNT began in Germany in 1891 and in 1899 aluminium was mixed with TNT to produce an explosive composition. In 1902, TNT was adopted for use by the German Army replacing picric acid, and in 1912 the US Army also started to use TNT. By 1914, TNT (1.4) became the standard explosive for all armies during World War I. 

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... 

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