8/20/2019 US3354010.pdf http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/us3354010pdf 1/5 United States Patent 0 1 3,354,010 FLEXIBLE EXPLOSIVE CONTAINING RDX AND/ OR HMX AND PROCESS THEREFOR John D. Hopper, Succasunna, and Franklin B. Wells, Hackettstown, N.J., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army No Drawing. Filed Jan. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 612,766 5 Claims. (Cl. 149—18) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ethod for the preparation of a self-supporting high power, ?exible sheet explosive of low impact sensitivity comprising the steps of mixing a high explosive from the group consisting of cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine (HMX), cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, (RDX) and mix tures thereof, with a plasticizer to form a pasty mass, mixing into said pasty mass a high viscosity, alcohol-wet nitrocellulose containing about 12% nitrogen and a pig ment for camou?age purposes, adding ethanol to the mix ture to form a stiff dough and then mixing and roll-milling said dough at about 135° F. to form a ?exible sheet ex plosive. This invention is a continuation-in-part of our pending application Ser. No. 505,445, ?led Oct. 27, 1965, now Patent No. 3,317,361, and relates to an explosive com position and more particularly concerns a ?exible, self supporting, water-resistant explosive and method for its preparation. Our composition comprises a particulate explosive and a plasticized binder, the composition being useful in ex plosive metal-forming processes and admirably well suited for demolition purposes. The composition is characterized further by safety in handling, and it may be formed readily into any desired shape as by rolling, extrusion, compres sion-molding, etc. into strips, blocks, sheets, and the like. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an explosive having the aforementioned characteristics. Another object of this invention is to provide a ?exible explosive of high power (at least the equivalent of TNT) and brisance (rate of detonation at least about 7,000 m./sec.). Still another object of this invention is to provide an ex plosive which, in sheet form, possesses sufficient ?exibility so that it may e made o conform to the contour of un even surfaces with a minimum of manipulation, thus aid< ing in the complete destruction of the device to be de molished. A urther object of the invention is to provide a ?exible explosive having high resistance to impact and friction while retaining good cap sensitivity characteristics. A till further object of this invention is to provide a ?exible explosive which is more heat-stable than similar materials currently available. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a ?ex ible explosive which is not adversely affected by water. A nal object of this invention is to provide an explo sive of su?icient resiliency so that, when made in block or other massive form, it will resist breaking up upon im pact with a hard surface when striking such a surface with a velocity of at least 150 feet/second. Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent as the invention is further described hereinafter. We ave found that the foregoing objects may ‘be at tained through provision of an explosive composition com prising about 45-76% of the cyclic polynitramines cyclo tetramethylenetetranitramine, hereinafter referred to as HMX, and/or cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, hereinafter 10 15 20 25 30 40 50 55 60 65 70 3,354,010 Patented Nov. 21, 1967 1C6 2 referred to as RDX, the said HMX nd/or RDX aving an average particle size of up to about 25 microns, pref erably not over 13 microns. One hundred percent of the HMX nd/or RDX ust pas through a #200 US. Stand ard sieve, and at least 90%, and preferably not less than 97.5% thereof, should pass through a #325 US. Stand ard sieve. Our composition will also contain about 17-39%, pref erably about 25-30%, of a plasticizer such as tributyl acetylcitrate (preferred), dioctyl sebacate, triethylene glycol di(2-ethylbutyrate), or other similar materials, preferably those having pour points of —40° C. or below, about 5—15%, preferably 6—8%, of nitrocellulose pref erably containing about 12.1-12.5 % itrogen and having such a degree of polymerization as to have a viscosity, using a 4% olution of nitrocellulose and a ‘Lyle-inch di ameter steel ball, of at least 90 seconds and preferably greater than 140 seconds, and about 02-10%, preferably about 0,3418%, of a pigment to impart any desired color to the ?nished product. In the determination of viscosity aforementioned, the steel ball shall weigh about 2.025 to 2.045 grams, the viscosimeter shall consist of a glass tube 14 inches in length with an internal diameter of 1 inch, the tube being im mersed to the height of its liquid content in a constant temperature bath maintained at 25° :0.2° C., and the time of passage of the ball between markings shall be noted. The aforementioned viscosity test is run in accordance with Speci?cation MIL-N—224A, paragraph 4.4.5 et seq., dated Feb. 13, 1962, with the exception that the quantities of materials used are: 8 grams nitrocellulose, 21.3 grams ethyl alcohol, and 170.7 grams of acetone. The 21.3 gram/ 70.7 gram alcohol/acetone ratio is used to main tain the 1/8 ratio required in the speci?cation. While varying the proportions of all three of the major ingredients of our explosive results in some variations in the properties thereof, we have found in a series of tests that, in general, the presence of less than 45% of the particulate explosive results in reduced self-supporting properties and reduced power; whereas inclusion of more than 76% particulate explosive results in reduced cohe siveness. A ontent of less than 17% plasticizer results in reduced strength and cohesiveness; whereas the presence of more than 39% plasticizer results in a sticky product having reduced self-supporting properties. Less than 5% nitrocellulose in the product results in reduced strength whereas the presence of more than 15% nitrocellulose re sults in a product that is not su?iciently moldable. We have found, also, that substitution of even a minor propor tion of the speci?ed nitrocellulose by ordinary low-viscos ity nitrocellulose results in a sticky product with reduced self-supporting properties. For purposes of camou?age, an olive-drab coloration of the explosive is desirable. Less than 0.2% pigment is in sufficient to give a satisfactory coloration to the product where a color other than white is desired, and more than 1.0% pigment is not necessary for effective coloring. The preferred pigment, which imparts an olive-drab colora tion to our explosive composition, comprises one part lampblack and 8 parts chrome yellow, medium (lead chromate). Addition of 0.4% (5% based on nitrocellulose present) diphenylamine, referred to hereinafter as D‘PA, to our ex plosive composition results in improvement of the product with respect to thermal stability to such a marked extent that when t is subjected to the 110° C. Vacuum Stability Test for 40 hours the volume of gas evolved is only about half that evolved when the composition without added DPA s similarly tested. Quantities other than 0.4 DPA ll resulted in a reduced stabilizing effect. Other commonly used nitrocellulose stabilizers were found to be less ef
Transcript
8/20/2019 US3354010.pdf
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/us3354010pdf 1/5
United
S t a t e s P a t e n t 0
1
3 , 3 5 4 , 0 1 0
FLEXIBLE EXPLOSIVE CONTAINING RDX AND/
OR
HMX
AND
PROCESS THEREFOR
J o h n D . H o p p e r , S u c c a s u n n a , a n d
F r a n k l i n B .
W e l l s ,
H a c k e t t s t o w n , N . J . ,
a s s i g n o r s
t o
t h e
U n i t e d S t a t e s o f
A m e r i c a a s r e p r e s e n t e d b y t h e S e c r e t a r y o f t h e Army
No
D r a w i n g . F i l e d J a n . 2 7 , 1 9 6 7 , S e r . N o . 6 1 2 , 7 6 6
5
C l a i m s .
( C l . 149—18)
ABSTRACT OF
THE DISCLOSURE
A
ethod f o r t h e p r e p a r a t i o n
o f
a s e l f - s u p p o rt i n g h i g h
p o w e r ,
? e x i b l e s h e e t e x p l o s i v e o f l o w i m p a c t s e n s i t i v i t y
c o m p r i s i n g t h e s t e p s o f m i x i n g a
h i g h
e x p l o s i v e f r o m t h e
g r o u p
c o n s i s t i n g
o f c y c l o t e t r a m e t h y l e n e t e t r a n i t r a m i n e
(HMX),
c y c l o t r i m e t h y l e n e t r i n i t r a m i n e ,
(RDX)
a n d
m i x
t u r e s t h e r e o f ,
w i t h
a p l a s t i c i z e r t o
form
a
p a s t y m a s s ,
m i x i n g
i n t o s a i d p a s t y
m a s s a h i g h v i s c o s i t y ,
a l c o h o l - w e t
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e
c o n t a i n i n g a b o u t
12% n i t r o g e n a n d a p i g
ment
f o r camou?age p u r p o s e s , a d d i n g
e t h a n o l t o t h e mix
t u r e
t o form
a
s t i f f
dough
a n d
t h e n
m i x i n g and r o l l - m i l l i n g
s a i d
dough a t
a b o u t
1 3 5 °
F . t o
form
a ? e x i b l e
s h e e t
e x
p l o s i v e .
T h i s i n v e n t i o n i s a
c o n t i n u a t i o n - i n - p a r t
o f o u r p e n d i n g
a p p l i c a t i o n
S e r .
N o . 5 0 5 , 4 4 5 ,
? l e d
O c t . 2 7 ,
1 9 6 5 ,
now
P a t e n t No. 3 , 3 1 7 , 3 6 1 , and r e l a t e s t o an e x p l o s i v e com
p o s i t i o n and more p a r t i c u l a r l y c o n c e r n s a ? e x i b l e , s e l f
s u p p o r t i n g ,
w a t e r - r e s i s t a n t
e x p l o s i v e
a n d m e t h o d
f o r
i t s
p r e p a r a t i o n .
Our c o m p o s i t i o n c o m p r i s e s a p a r t i c u l a t e e x p l o s i v e
a n d
a p l a s t i c i z e d
b i n d e r ,
t h e c o m p o s i t i o n b e i n g u s e f u l
i n e x
p l o s i v e
m e t a l - f o r m i n g p r o c e s s e s
a n d a d m i r a b l y
w e l l s u i t e d
f o r d e m o l i t i o n p u r p o s e s . The c o m p o s i t i o n i s c h a r a c t e r i z e d
f u r t h e r
b y
s a f e t y i n h a n d l i n g , a n d i t may
b e f o r m e d
r e a d i l y
i n t o
a n y
d e s i r e d
s h a p e
a s b y r o l l i n g , e x t r u s i o n ,
c o m p r e s
s i o n - m o l d i n g , e t c . i n t o s t r i p s , b l o c k s , s h e e t s ,
a n d
t h e l i k e .
I t i s
t h e r e f o r e
an o b j e c t o f
t h i s
i n v e n t i o n t o
p r o v i d e
an
e x p l o s i v e h a v i n g t h e a f o r e m e n t i o n e d
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .
Another
o b j e c t o f
t h i s
i n v e n t i o n i s
t o p r o v i d e a
? e x i b l e
e x p l o s i v e
o f h i g h p o w e r ( a t l e a s t t h e e q u i v a l e n t o f TNT)
a n d b r i s a n c e ( r a t e o f d e t o n a t i o n a t
l e a s t
a b o u t 7 , 0 0 0
m . / s e c . ) .
S t i l l a n o t h e r
o b j e c t
o f
t h i s
i n v e n t i o n i s
t o p r o v i d e an e x
p l o s i v e
w h i c h ,
i n
s h e e t
f o r m ,
p o s s e s s e s
s u f f i c i e n t ? e x i b i l i t y
s o
t h a t
i t
may
e made
o
conform t o t h e contour of
u n
even
s u r f a c e s w i t h a minimum o f m a n i p u l a t i o n , t h u s a i d <
i n g
i n
t h e
c o m p l e t e
d e s t r u c t i o n o f t h e
d e v i c e
t o
b e d e
m o l i s h e d .
A
u r t h e r o b j e c t
o f t h e i n v e n t i o n i s
t o
p r o v i d e a ? e x i b l e
e x p l o s i v e h a v i n g
h i g h
r e s i s t a n c e t o i m p a c t a n d f r i c t i o n
w h i l e
r e t a i n i n g g o o d
c a p s e n s i t i v i t y
c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s .
A
t i l l
f u r t h e r o b j e c t
o f t h i s i n v e n t i o n
i s t o
p r o v i d e a
? e x i b l e
e x p l o s i v e
w h i c h
i s more h e a t - s t a b l e
t h a n
s i m i l a r
m a t e r i a l s c u r r e n t l y a v a i l a b l e .
Y e t a n o t h e r o b j e c t o f t h i s i n v e n t i o n
i s t o
p r o v i d e a ? e x
i b l e
e x p l o s i v e w h i c h i s
n o t a d v e r s e l y
a f f e c t e d b y w a t e r .
A n a l
o b j e c t
o f t h i s
i n v e n t i o n
i s t o
p r o v i d e
a n e x p l o
s i v e
o f s u ? i c i e n t r e s i l i e n c y s o t h a t ,
when
made
i n
b l o c k
o r
o t h e r
m a s s i v e f o r m ,
i t
w i l l
r e s i s t
b r e a k i n g
u p
upon
im
p a c t
w i t h a
h a r d s u r f a c e wh e n s t r i k i n g
s u c h a
s u r f a c e w i t h
a
v e l o c i t y
o f a t l e a s t
1 5 0
f e e t / s e c o n d .
O t h e r
a n d f u r t h e r o b j e c t s o f t h i s
i n v e n t i o n w i l l become
a p p a r e n t
a s
t h e i n v e n t i o n i s f u r t h e r d e s c r i b e d
h e r e i n a f t e r .
We a v e f o u n d t h a t t h e
f o r e g o i n g
o b j e c t s may
‘ b e a t
t a i n e d
t h r o u g h
p r o v i s i o n o f a n e x p l o s i v e c o m p o s i t i o n com
p r i s i n g
a b o u t 45-76%
o f t h e
c y c l i c p o l y n i t r a m i n e s
c y c l o
t e t r a m e t h y l e n e t e t r a n i t r a m i n e ,
h e r e i n a f t e r
r e f e r r e d t o a s
HMX, a n d / o r c y c l o t r i m e t h y l e n e t r i n i t r a m i n e , h e r e i n a f t e r
10
1 5
20
25
30
40
50
55
60
65
7 0
3 , 3 5 4 , 0 1 0
P a t e n t e d N o v . 2 1 , 1 9 6 7
1C6
2
r e f e r r e d t o a s RDX, t h e s a i d HMX n d / o r
RDX
a v i n g
an
a v e r a g e
p a r t i c l e
s i z e
o f
up
t o
a b o u t 2 5
m i c r o n s ,
p r e f
e r a b l y
n o t o v e r
1 3
m i c r o n s . One h u n d r e d p e r c e n t o f
t h e
HMX n d / o r
RDX u s t p a s t h r o u g h a #200
US.
S t a n d
a r d s i e v e ,
a n d
a t
l e a s t
90%,
a n d p r e f e r a b l y n o t l e s s t h a n
97.5%
t h e r e o f ,
s h o u l d
p a s s t h r o u g h
a
#325 US. S t a n d
a r d
s i e v e .
Our
c o m p o s i t i o n
w i l l
a l s o c o n t a i n
a b o u t 1 7 - 3 9 % ,
p r e f
e r a b l y
a b o u t 25-30%, o f a p l a s t i c i z e r s u c h a s t r i b u t y l
a c e t y l c i t r a t e ( p r e f e r r e d ) , d i o c t y l s e b a c a t e , t r i e t h y l e n e
g l y c o l d i ( 2 - e t h y l b u t y r a t e ) , o r
o t h e r s i m i l a r m a t e r i a l s ,
p r e f e r a b l y t h o s e h a v i n g p o u r p o i n t s o f —40° C .
o r b e l o w ,
a b o u t 5 — 1 5 % , p r e f e r a b l y 6 — 8 % , o f n i t r o c e l l u l o s e p r e f
e r a b l y c o n t a i n i n g a b o u t 1 2 . 1 - 1 2 . 5
%
i t r o g e n a n d
h a v i n g
s u c h a d e g r e e
o f
p o l y m e r i z a t i o n a s t o have
a
v i s c o s i t y ,
u s i n g a
4%
o l u t i o n o f n i t r o c e l l u l o s e and a ‘ L y l e - i n c h d i
a m e t e r
s t e e l
b a l l ,
o f
a t
l e a s t
90
s e c o n d s
and
p r e f e r a b l y
g r e a t e r t h a n 1 4 0 s e c o n d s , a n d
a b o u t
02 - 1 0% , p r e f e r a b l y
a b o u t 0,3418%, o f
a
p i g m e n t
t o
i m p a r t a n y d e s i r e d
c o l o r
t o t h e
? n i s h e d
p r o d u c t .
I n t h e d e t e r m i n a t i o n
o f
v i s c o s i t y
a f o r e m e n t i o n e d , t h e
s t e e l b a l l
s h a l l
w e i g h a b o u t 2 . 0 2 5 t o 2 . 0 4 5
g r a m s ,
t h e
v i s c o s i m e t e r s h a l l
c o n s i s t
o f a g l a s s t u b e 1 4 i n c h e s i n l e n g t h
w i t h a n
i n t e r n a l
d i a m e t e r o f 1 i n c h , t h e t u b e b e i n g im
mersed t o
t h e
h e i g h t o f i t s l i q u i d c o n t e n t i n
a
c o n s t a n t
t e m p e r a t u r e
b a t h
m a i n t a i n e d
a t 2 5 ° :0.2°
C . , a n d
t h e
t i m e
o f p a s s a g e o f
t h e
b a l l b e t w e e n
m a r k i n g s
s h a l l
b e n o t e d .
T h e
a f o r e m e n t i o n e d
v i s c o s i t y
t e s t
i s r u n
i n a c c o r d a n c e
w i t h S p e c i ? c a t i o n
MIL-N—224A, p a r a g r a p h 4 . 4 . 5
e t s e q . ,
d a t e d F e b . 1 3 , 1 9 6 2 , w i t h
t h e e x c e p t i o n t h a t t h e q u a n t i t i e s
o f m a t e r i a l s
u s e d
a r e :
8 grams n i t r o c e l l u l o s e ,
2 1 . 3
grams
e t h y l
a l c o h o l ,
a n d
1 7 0 . 7
g r a m s
o f a c e t o n e .
The
2 1 . 3
gram/
7 0 . 7
gram a l c o h o l / a c e t o n e r a t i o i s u s e d t o main
t a i n
t h e
1 / 8 r a t i o r e q u i r e d i n t h e
s p e c i ? c a t i o n .
W h i l e v a r y i n g t h e
p r o p o r t i o n s
o f a l l t h r e e
o f
t h e m a j o r
i n g r e d i e n t s o f o u r e x p l o s i v e r e s u l t s i n some v a r i a t i o n s i n
t h e p r o p e r t i e s t h e r e o f ,
we
have found
i n a
s e r i e s o f t e s t s
t h a t , i n g e n e r a l , t h e p r e s e n c e o f l e s s
t h a n
4 5 % o f t h e
p a r t i c u l a t e
e x p l o s i v e r e s u l t s i n r e d u c e d s e l f - s u p p o r t i n g
p r o p e r t i e s
and r e d u c e d
p o w e r ;
w h e r e a s
i n c l u s i o n
o f
more
t h a n 76% p a r t i c u l a t e
e x p l o s i v e
r e s u l t s i n r e d u c e d c o h e
s i v e n e s s . A o n t e n t o f l e s s t h a n
1 7 %
p l a s t i c i z e r r e s u l t s
i n
r e d u c e d s t r e n g t h a n d c o h e s i v e n e s s ;
w h e r e a s
t h e p r e s e n c e
o f more t h a n 3 9 %
p l a s t i c i z e r
r e s u l t s i n
a
s t i c k y
p r o d u c t
h a v i n g r e d u c e d s e l f - s u p p o r t i n g
p r o p e r t i e s .
L e s s t h a n
5 %
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e
i n t h e
p r o d u c t r e s u l t s
i n
r e d u c e d
s t r e n g t h
whereas
t h e p r e s e n c e o f
more
t h a n
1 5 %
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e r e
s u l t s
i n a
p r o d u c t
t h a t
i s n o t
s u ? i c i e n t l y
m o l d a b l e . We
have
f o u n d , a l s o , t h a t s u b s t i t u t i o n o f e v e n a
minor
p r o p o r
t i o n
o f t h e s p e c i ? e d n i t r o c e l l u l o s e b y o r d i n a r y l o w - v i s c o s
i t y
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e r e s u l t s i n a s t i c k y
p r o d u c t w i t h
r e d u c e d
s e l f - s u p p o r t i n g p r o p e r t i e s .
For p u r p o s e s o f c a m o u ? a g e , a n
o l i v e - d r a b
c o l o r a t i o n o f
t h e
e x p l o s i v e i s d e s i r a b l e . L e s s t h a n 0.2%
p i g m e n t
i s
i n
s u f f i c i e n t
t o g i v e a s a t i s f a c t o r y c o l o r a t i o n t o t h e
p r o d u c t
where
a c o l o r
o t h e r
t h a n w h i t e i s
d e s i r e d ,
and
more
t h a n
1.0% p i g m e n t i s n o t n e c e s s a r y
f o r
e f f e c t i v e c o l o r i n g . The
p r e f e r r e d
p i g m e n t , w h i c h i m p a r t s a n o l i v e - d r a b c o l o r a
t i o n t o o u r e x p l o s i v e c o m p o s i t i o n , c o m p r i s e s o n e p a r t
l a m p b l a c k a n d 8 p a r t s c h r o m e
y e l l o w ,
medium
( l e a d
c h r o m a t e ) .
A d d i t i o n
o f
0.4%
(5%
b a s e d
on
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e
p r e s e n t )
d i p h e n y l a m i n e ,
r e f e r r e d t o h e r e i n a f t e r a s D‘PA, t o our ex
p l o s i v e c o m p o s i t i o n r e s u l t s i n i m p r o v e m e n t o f
t h e
p r o d u c t
w i t h
r e s p e c t t o t h e r m a l
s t a b i l i t y
t o s u c h
a marked e x t e n t
t h a t when
t
i s
s u b j e c t e d t o
t h e 1 1 0 ° C .
Vacuum
S t a b i l i t y
T e s t f o r 40 h o u r s t h e volume o f g a s e v o l v e d i s o n l y
a b o u t
h a l f t h a t e v o l v e d
when
t h e
c o m p o s i t i o n
w i t h o u t
a d d e d
DPA s
s i m i l a r l y t e s t e d .
Q u a n t i t i e s
o t h e r
t h a n
0 . 4 DPA
l l
r e s u l t e d i n
a r e d u c e d s t a b i l i z i n g
e f f e c t . O t h e r
commonly
u s e d
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e s t a b i l i z e r s were
found
t o b e
l e s s
e f
8/20/2019 US3354010.pdf
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/us3354010pdf 2/5
3 , 3 5 4 , 0 1 0
3
i ' e c t i v e . The
Va c u um
S t a b i l i t y T e s t i s d e s c r i b e d i n Method
5 0 3 . 1 o f M i l i t a r y S t a n d a r d MlL-STD-650.
Our p r o d u c t employing HMX and/or RDX
a s
t h e
p a r t i c u l a t e h i g h e x p l o s i v e b a s e p r o v i d e s u n e x p e c t e d a n d
u n p r e d i c t a b l e
a d v a n t a g e s o v e r
? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e s c o n t a i n
i n g p e n t a e r y t h r i t o l t e t r a n i t r a t e , h e r e i n a f t e r r e f e r r e d t o a s
PETN, a s t h e p a r t i c u l a t e h i g h
e x p l o s i v e
b a s e .
C o m p o s i t i o n s
c o n t a i n i n g
HMX n d / o r
RDX b u t
no
DPA showed s u b s t a n t i a l l y g r e a t e r t h e r m a l s t a b i l i t y i n
t h e Va c u um
S t a b i l i t y T e s t t h a n d i d t h o s e c o n t a i n i n g
FETN.
A c c o r d i n g
t o
P i c a t i n n y A r s e n a l
T e c h n i c a l
R e p o r t
N o . 1 7 4 0 ,
R e v i s i o n
1 , A p r i l 1 9 5 8 , vacuum s t a b i l i t y v a l u e s
o f PETN, HMX, and
RDX t 1 0 0 ° C .
a r e
0 . 5 m l . , 0 . 3 7
m l . , a n d 0 . 7 m l . , r e s p e c t i v e l y . I t would b e e x p e c t e d , t h e r e
f o r e , t h a t ? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e
c o m p o s i t i o n s
d i f f e r i n g o n l y
i n
w h i c h o f t h e s e t h r e e e x p l o s i v e m a t e r i a l s t h e y c o n t a i n
s h o u l d have a l m o s t i d e n t i c a l t h e r m a l s t a b i l i t i e s , b u t t h i s
h a s
not been found t o
be t h e c a s e . A e r i e s
o f
v a c u u m
s t a b i l i t y
r e s u l t s , n o t
i n c l u d e d i n
t h e
e x a m p l e s ,
show
t h a t
i n t h e
4 0 - h o u r
1 0 0 °
C .
Vacuum S t a b i l i t y T e s t , u s i n g 5
gram
s a m p l e s ,
t h e
PETN-based
? e x i b l e
e x p l o s i v e
com
p o s i t i o n y i e l d e d a b o u t 1 . 5 m l . o f
g a s , w h i l e
s i m i l a r
HMX
a n d / o r R D X - b a s e d ? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e
c o m p o s i t i o n s
y i e l d e d
about
0 . 7 5 m l . o f
g a s . T h e advantage
o f
t h e u s e
o f
HMX
and/or
RDX ecomes
m u c h
more s t r i k i n g i n
t h e 1 1 0 ° C .
V a c u u m
S t a b i l i t y T e s t
i n
which
u n s t a b i l i z e d
HMX~ n d /
o r RDX-based
? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e
c o m p o s i t i o n s
y i e l d e d
4-5
m l .
o f
g a s i n 4 0
h o u r s ,
and v a r i o u s
b a t c h e s o f
s i m i l a r
P E T N - b a s e d c o m p o s i t i o n s y i e l d e d 11+ m l . ,
u s u a l l y
i n
m u c h
l e s s t h a n 4 0
h o u r s .
The
c a p a c i t y
o f t h e a p p a r a t u s
used
i s
1 1
m l . T h e
improved
v a c u um s t a b i l i t y
found
f o r
t h e HMX- n d /
o r RDX-based
? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e c o m p o s i
t i o n s , t h e r e f o r e , i s n o t
p r e d i c t a b l e
on
t h e
b a s i s
o f
t h e c i t e d
v a c u um
s t a b i l i t y v a l u e s
f o r PETN, HMX,
n d
RDX. Fur
t h e r i n d i c a t i o n s
o f t h e i m p r o v e d t h e r m a l s t a b i l i t y o b t a i n e d
through
t h e u s e o f HMX
nd/or
RDX
s
found
i n
t h e
s e v e r a l e x a m p l e s w h i c h f o l l o w .
T o f u r t h e r r e v e a l t h e s u p e r i or i t y o f o u r c y c l i c - p o l y
n i t r a m i n e - b a s e d p r o d u c t over a commercial PETN-based
? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e , samples o f b o t h were
t e s t e d
i n
a c i r c u
l a t i n g - h o t - a i r oven a t 1 6 0 °
: 5 °
F . Some o f t h e s a m p l e s
o f
t h e
PETN-based
e x p l o s i v e
d e v e l o p e d w r i n k l e s
a n d
p u c k e r s i n 2-3 d a y s which grew t o p a t c h e s o f one
i n c h
or
more i n maximum dimension u n t i l t h e 7 t h
or
8 t h day
o f
t h e t e s t
a f t e r which t h e y remained s t a t i c . None o f
t h e
s a m p l e s
o f
o u r
c y c l i c - p o l y n i t r a m i n e - b a s e d c o m p o s i t i o n s
d e v e l o p e d a n y s u c h i m p e r f e c t i o n s d u r i n g t h e t e s t p e r i o d o f
6 w e e k s .
T h i s
f u r t h e r i l l u s t r a t e s a n
u n p r e d i c t a b l e
adv an
t a g e o f o u r c y c l i c - p o l y n i t r a m i n e - b a se d ? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e .
A g a i n , i n e x u d a t i o n
p r o p e r t i e s ,
o u r
? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e
w a s
found
t o
be s u p e r i o r
t o
t h e
PET‘d-based
? e x i b l e
e x p l o s i v e . T h e exudation t e s t a t 1 6 0 ° F . , a s
o u t l i n e d
i n
M i l i t a r y S p e c i ? c a t i o n
MIL-E-46776A
(MU), i s c a r r i e d
o u t a s f o l l o w s : A ample o f t h e
? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e
1 A i - i n c h
t h i c k and 1 1 / 2 i n c h e s s q u a r e
i s
p l a c e d
on 1 5
l a y e r s
o f ? l t e r
paper i n
t h e
form o f
2 - i n c h
diameter d i s c s . A
orous
r e
l e a s e
p a p e r i s p l a c e d b e t w e e n
t h e
s a m p l e
o f
e x p l o s i v e
and
t h e
l a y e r s
o f ? l t e r
p a p e r .
A 2 5 - g r a m b r a s s w e i g h t , 1 1 / 2
i n c h e s s q u a r e ,
i s
p l a c e d on
t o p
o f t h e s a m p l e . T h i s
assem
b l y i s
then placed on a
wire
s c r e e n and s t o r e d i n a
f o r c e d
d r a f t oven f o r
24 hours
a t
160°
F .
Before assembly,
t h e
b r a s s w e i g h t i s w e i g h e d b y i t s e l f a n d t h e n r e w e i g h e d
w i t h
t h e
s a m p l e . A f t e r h o t s t o r a g e ,
t h e
s a m p l e
and b r a s s
w e i g h t
a r e
removed
from t h e ? l t e r
paper w h i l e
s t i l l
warm, no
a t t e m p t
b e i n g made t o
s e p a r a t e t h e b r a s s
w e i g h t
from t h e
s a m p l e ,
a n d
a l l o w e d
t o
c o o l
w i t h
t h e
s a m p l e u p p e r m o s t .
Whe n c o o l , t h e
s a m p l e
and b r a s s w e i g h t a r e
w e i g h e d
t o
g e t h e r .
T h e
t e s t
i s
r u n i n t r i p l i c a t e and
t h e
a v e r a g e
o f
t h r e e
r e s u l t s i s
r e p o r t e d
t o
d e t e r m i n e
c o m p l i a n c e
w i t h
t h e r e q u i r e m e n t .
Our c y c l i c - p o l y n i t r a m i n e - b a s e d m a t e ri a l r e a d i l y m e t t h e
0.10% maximum w e i g h t
l o s s
r e q u i r e m e n t o f
t h e
s p e c i ? c a
t i o n i n t h e a b o v e e x u d a t i o n t e s t
by
y i e l d i n g v a l u e s r a n g i n g
b e t w e e n 0.090%
and
0.094%; w h e r e a s t h e PETN-based
10
~ 1 1 )
50
55
60
7 0
75
d
? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e f a i l e d b y y i e l d i n g
r e s u l t s r a n g i n g
1 o e
twecn
0 . 1 1 %
and
0.20%.
I n
cap
s e n s i t i v i t y t e s t s i t was found t h a t t h e commercial
P E T N - c o n t a i n i n g ? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e s showed w i d e v a r i a
t i o n s i n
s e n s i t i v i t y t o i n i t i a t i o n ,
no
o n l y from l o t t o l o t ,
b u t a l s o w i t h i n
a
g i v e n
l o t .
T h i s
i s
exempli?ed by
two
extremes o f
one
l o t which both accepted and
f a i l e d
t o
a c c e p t
i n i t i a t i o n f r o m s t a n d a r d
3 ,
4 , 5 , a n d #6
c a p s a n d a c c e p t e d
i n i t i a t i o n c o n s i s t e n t l y
from s t a n d a r d
#8 c a p s , and
a n o t h e r
l o t which b o t h a c c e p t e d and f a i l e d
t o a c c e p t i n i t i a t i o n from s t a n d a r d
#1
c a p s
and
a c c e p t e d
i n i t i a t i o n
c o n s i s t e n t l y from s t a n d a r d 2
a p s .
Our HMX
b a s e d
m a t e r i a l , on t h e
o t h e r h a n d , a c c e p t e d i n i t i a t i o n
from
c a p s
c o n t a i n i n g 1 3 . 5 g r a i n s o f RDX s t h e
b a s e
c h a r g e ( M 6 c a p s ) . b u t f a i l e d t o
do
s o
from
s t a n d a r d 8
c a p s ,
which
have 8 . 5
g r a i n s o f
PETN
s t h e
b a s e c h a r g e .
Our RDX-based
m a t e r i a l
a c c e p t e d i n i t i a t i o n from s t a n d
a r d
8 a p s
b u t f a i l e d t o do s o from
s t a n d a r d
6 a p s .
The e r r a t i c
b e h a v i o r
o f t h e PETN-containing m a t e r i a l
w i t h
r e s p e c t t o
c a p s e n s i t i v i t y
c o n s t i t u t e s
a n u n e x p e c t e d
s a f e t y
f e a t u r e i n h e r e n t
i n
our
HMX-
and/or
RDX
c o n t a i n i n g
? e x i b l e
e x p l o s i v e s .
I n c a p s , a s
i s
w e l l known
i n t h e a r t , t h e
s m a l l e r
t h e
number o f
t h e c a p ,
t h e
s m a l l e r
t h e e x p l o s i v e c h a r g e c o n t a i ne d t h e r e i n .
T h e cap s e n s i t v i t y t e s t was
conducted a s
f o l l o w s :
s t r i p s
o f e x p l o s i v e m a t e r i a l
1 / 4
i n c h
t h i c k b y l
i n c h
w i d e
b y
1 2
i n c h e s l o n g
were
i n d e n t e d a t one end by b u t t i n g a notch
1 4 i n c h w i d e
and 3 . 4
i n c h d e e p
and
i n d e n t e d a t t h e
o t h e r end w i t h a s i m i l a r n o t c h 1 % ;
i n c h d e e p .
T h e
i n i t i a t i n g
c a p was
i n s e r t e d
i n t o
t h e
3 . 4 i n c h — d e e p n o t c h and t a p e d
i n
p l a c e . One end
o f a
3 - f o o t - l o n g p i e c e
o f S O - g r a i n
Primacord was i n s e r t e d
i n t o
t h e 1 . 4 i n c h
deep
n o t c h and
t a p e d i n p l a c e . T h e a s s e m b l y was
p l a c e d on a
smooth
c l e a n s t e e l
p l a t e and
t h e c a p ? r e d . Caps
which
i n i t i a t e d
t h e s t r i p o f e x p l o s i v e c a u s e d t h e
P r i m a c o r d
t o
? r e a n d
ma k e
a
r e a d i l y
d e t e c t a b l e
mark
on
t h e
p l a t e .
I n c a s e s
where t h e c a p f a i l e d t o
i n i t i a t e
t h e
s t r i p o f
e x p l o s i v e ,
t h e
undetonated
Primacord and a l a r g e p o r t i o n o f
t h e
t e s t
s t r i p were a l w a y s
p r e s e n t
a f t e r t h e t e s t .
We
have a l s o
d e v i s e d a method f o r
p r e p a r i n g
our i n
v e n t i v e c o m p o s i t i o n s which
o f f e r s
d i s t i n c t a d v a n t a g e s o v e r
c o n v e n t i o n a l
m e t h o d s . An
o u t s t a n d i n g
a d v a n t a g e
t o
b e
d e r i v e d from o u r method i s t h e g r a n u l a r form o f
t h e
p r o d
u c t which
r e n d e r s i t
p a r t i c u l a r l y w e l l s u i t e d
f o r
e x t r u s i o n
a n d
c o m p r e s s i o n - m o l d i n g p u r p o s e s .
I n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h i s m e t h o d , n i t r o c e l l u l o s e o f
t h e
h i g h v i s c o s i t y t y p e
a f o r e m e n t i o n e d
c o n t a i n i n g
a b o u t 1 2 . 1
t o 12.5% n i t r o g e n i s d i s s o l v e d
i n
a b o u t 30-70 p a r t s ( p r e f
e r a b l y
48-50
t i m e s i t s w e i g h t ) o f
a
s o l v e n t s u c h a s b u t y l
( p r e f e r r e d ) , p r o p y l ,
o r
e t h y l a c e t a t e
w i t h m e c h a n i c a l
a g i t a t i o n . Whe n s o l u t i o n o f t h e n i t r o c e l l u l o s e i s c o m p l e t e ,
t h e
s t a b i l i z e r i s
added
and
d i s s o l v e d
and
t h e
p l a s t i c i z e r , i n
t h e
amounts
a f o r e m e n t i o n e d ,
i s t h e n s t i r r e d i n t o t h e s o l u
t i o n .
T h e s t a b i l i z e r
p r e f e r a b l y
w i l l
b e 0 . 4%
DPA, a s
a f o r e m e n t i o n e d .
The HMX
n d / o r RDX n d
t h e
p i g m e n t
a r e s e p a r a t e l y s u s p e n d e d i n
a b o u t
2 0 - 8 0 ( p r e f e r a b l y
5 8
6 0 ) t i m e s t h e i r w e i g h t
o f
w a t e r h e l d a t 8 0 °
C .
i n an open
v e s s e l . T h e HMX r RDX a y b e s u s p e n d e d w i t h o u t t h e
presence
of
t h e
other or a mixture of t h e
two
i n any pro
p o r t i o n s
would a l s o
b e
s a t i s f a c t o r y . The
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e
s o l u t i o n
i s added
s l o w l y i n
a ?ne s t r e a m t o t h e v i g o r
o u s l y
a g i t a t e d HMX
and/or RDX
s u s p e n s i o n
s o
t h a t
i t i s w e l l d i s p e r s e d t h e r e i n . Whe n a l l t h e n i t r o c e l l u l o s e
s o l u t i o n h a s b e e n a d d e d , t h e t e m p e r a t u r e o f
t h e
c o n s t a n t l y
s t i r r e d
m i x t u r e
i s r a i s e d
t o
95-98°
C .
t o d i s t i l l o f f t h e s o l
v e n t , w h i c h ,
p r e f e r a b l y ,
i s c o l l e c t e d f o r r e u s e . The
mix
t u r e i s t h e n c o o l e d t o 40° C . a s r a p i d l y a s p o s s i b l e and
? l t e r e d , a f t e r which t h e
p r o d u c t i n
t h e form
o f
s m a l l
somewhat
i r r e g u l a r p e l l e t s i s a i r - d r i e d u n t i l a l l a p p a r e n t
m o i s t u r e
h a s
e v a p o r a t e d . I t
i s
t h e n o v e n - d r i e d
t o
c o n s t a n t
w e i g h t
a t
6 0 ° C .
The g r a n u l a r
p r o d u c t
t h u s o b t a i n e d
i s
r e l a t i v e l y f r e e - ? o w i n g when ? r s t
p r e p a r e d .
Upon
s t a n d
i n g , t h e
g r a n u l e s
t e n d t o a d h e r e l i g h t l y t o o n e a n o t h e r ,
b u t
t h e a g g r e g a t e
may b e b r o k e n
up
r e a d i l y , i f d e s i r e d .
I t
may
8/20/2019 US3354010.pdf
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/us3354010pdf 3/5
3 , 3 5 4 , 0 1 0 v
b e
p r o c e s s e d i n
a n y d e s i r e d
manner
a s by e x t r u s i o n , r o l l
i n g ,
m o l d i n g ,
e t c .
The
p r o d u c t s
and p r o c e s s o f o u r i n v e n t i o n a r e f u r t h e r
d e s c r i b e d a n d
i l l u s t r a t e d
b y t h e e x a m p l e s
p r e s e n t e d h e r e
i n u n d e r . A l l
p r o p o r t i o n s
e x p r e s s e d
i n p a r t s b y w e i g h t
u n
l e s s
s t a t e d
o t h e r w i s e .
E x a m p l e
I
The ? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e o f t h i s ? r s t e x a m p l e o f
o u r
i n v e n ~
t i o n
h a d t h e f o l l o w i n g
c o m p o s i t i o n :
Grams
HMX Grade I I , Class B)1
___________________
__ 315
Tributyl
acetylcitrate
________________________
_
1 4 1
N i t r o c e l l u l o s e , alcohol-wet
(dry
b a s i s )
_________ __
4 0
P i g m e n t
( 8 p a r t s c h r o m e
y e l l o w ,
medium/
p a r t
lampblack) ______________________________ _ 4
1
S p e c i ? c a t i o n
M I L - H - 4 5 4 4 4 A
(0rd) w/Arnendment
3
dated July 3 1 , 1 9 6 2 . T h e HMX sed
i n
t h i s
‘ a n d
subsequent
examples
c o n t a i n e d 1.55% RDX n l e s s o t h e r w i s e n o t e d .
The
HMX and t r i b u t y l a c e t y l c i t r a t e were
mixed f o r
t h r e e
m i n u t e s i n
a n
open
sigma
b l a d e mixer h e l d
a t 1 3 5 °
:5“
F .
The
h i g h
v i s c o s i t y n i t r o c e l l u l o s e
c o n t a i n i n g a b o u t
1 2 .
l - l 2 . 5 %
i t r o g e n
a n d t h e p i g m e n t w e r e t h e n a d d e d a n d
m i x e d i n a n d a b o u t
‘ 6 0
m l . o f e t h y l
a l c o h o l
a d d e d t o
l i g h t e n
t h e c o n s i s t e n c y o f t h e mix t o t h a t o f a
s t i f f d o u g h .
The
dough was mixed
a b o u t 1 5 m i n u t e s a t
135°i5° F .
i n t h e
open mixer and t h e n formed i n t o s h e e t s
on
a r o l l m i l l , a l s o
held
a t
135 °i5 F . T h e mix w a s ? r s t r o l l e d
a t
a r o l l
g a p s e t t i n g o f 0 . 0 1 0 i n c h
u n t i l
t h e a l c o h o l was d r i v e n o f f .
T h e
r o l l gap was
t h e n i n c r e a s e d
t o
0 . 2 1 0 i n c h
and t h e t h i n
s h e e t s c o n s o l i d a t e d b y
r e r o l l i n g
i n t o a smooth u n i f o r m
s h e e t a b o u t o n e - q u a r t e r i n c h
i n
t h i c k n e s s .
T h i s m a t e r i a l i s
p a r t i a l l y c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y t h e f o l l o w i n g t e s t r e s u l t s :
Vacuum
s t a b i l i t y t e s t
( 5 g .
f o r
4 0
h o u r s )
a t
1 1 0 °
C. ______________________
_
4 . 58 ml.
g a s .
Cap
e n s i t i v i t y t e s t
__________________
__
M6
a p . 1
1 In accordance with Speci?cation
MIL—C—45468A(MU)
w/Amendment 5 d a t e d M a y 1 5 , 1 9 6 4 .
E x a m p l e I I
The c o m p o s i t i o n
o f
t h e e x p l o s i v e o f
t h i s
e x a m p l e was
i d e n t i c a l w i t h t h a t o f Example I
w i t h
t h e e x c e p t i o n t h a t
t h e c y c l i c p o l y n i t r a m i n e u s e d
was
Type
B , C l a s s
E DX.1
T h i s m a t e r i a l
formed a . smooth
u n i f o r m s h e e t . I t i s
p a r
t i a l l y
c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y t h e
f o l l o w i n g
t e s t
r e s u l t s :
Vacuum s t a b i l i t y t e s t ( 5 g . f o r 40
h o u r s )
at 1 1 0 ° C. ______________________ _ 4. 94 ml. gas.
Cap
e n s i t i v i t y
t e s t _________________
__
8 a p .
A i m i l a r ? e x i b l e
m a t e r i a l
b a s e d on PETN and p r e
p a r e d b y t h e
Du
P o n t Company g a v e a vacuum
s t a b i l i t y
t e s t
v a l u e
o f 1 1 + m l . o f g a s
when
s i m i l a r l y t e s t e d . The
s u p e r i o r
t h e r m a l s t a b i l i t y o f o u r m a t e r i a l
i s
t h u s i l l u s
t r a t e d .
E x a m p l e
I I I
The c o m p o s i t i o n
o f
t h e ? e x i b l e
e x p l o s i v e
o f
t h i s exam—
p l e
was
i d e n t i c a l i n f o r m u l a t i o n w i t h t h a t o f
Example
I I
e x c e p t t h a t RDX o n t a i n i n g a b o u t
2.5% HMX
a s u s e d .
The c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f
t h e
r e s u l t a n t p r o d u c t were s u b s t a n
t i a l l y i d e n t i c a l
w i t h t h o s e o f
t h e
p r o d u c t o f
E x a m p l e I I .
E x a m p l e IV
The c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h e ? e x i b l e
e x p l o s i v e
o f t h i s e x
ample was i d e n t i c a l i n f o r m u l a t i o n w i t h
t h a t o f
Example
I
w i t h
t h e
e x c e p t i o n
t h a t
HMX
o n t a i n i n g
a b o u t
1 . 2 %
RDX was u s e d .
A mooth
homogeneous
s h e e t was ob
t a i n e d
h a v i n g c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s and
p h y s i c a l
p r o p e r t i e s s i m i
l a r t o t h o s e o f t h e
p r o d u c t
o f Example I . As i n Example
I , an
M6
ap was
r e q u i r e d
f o r i n i t i a t i o n
i n
t h e c a p s e n s i
t i v i t y
t e s t .
1 S p e c i ? c a t i o n MIL-R-3 9 8C d a t e d
Aug.
2 2 , ‘ 1 9 6 2 . T h e RDX
used i n t h i s
and
subsequent examples contained 7 . 3% HMX
u n l e s s
otherwise n o t e d .
1 0
1 5
20
2 5
3 5
40
4 5
50
55
60
6 5
7 5
6
‘
Example
V
The c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h e ? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e o f
t h i s
e x
a m p l e
was i d e n t i c a l
w i t h
t h a t o f Example
I I e x c e p t t h a t i t
c o n t a i n e d
0 . 4
added p a r t o f DPA
b a s e d on
1 0 0 ‘ p a r t s
o f
? e x i b l e e x p l o s i v e
a s
p r e p a r e d
i n
Example
I I ) ,
w h i c h
was
d i s s o l v e d
i n
t h e a l c o h o l
u s e d t o wet
t h e
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e .
T h e
m i x t u r e g a v e
a
p r o d u c t
v e r y
s i m i l a r t o t h a t
o f Example
I I
e x c e p t t h a t
i t s v a c u um s t a b i l i t y v a l u e a t
1 1 0 °
C .
was
2 . 8 5
m l . o f
g a s
e v o l v e d , a
c o n s i d e r a b l e
improvement
o v e r t h e
v a l u e
f o u n d
f o r t h e u n s t a b i l i z e d m a t e r i a l .
E x a m p l e V I
The
c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h e e x p l o s i v e o f t h i s e x a m p l e
w a s ‘
i d e n t i c a l
w i t h
t h a t o f Example I w i t h t h e e x c e p t i o n t h a t
0 . 4 p a r t b y w e i g h t o f t h e s t a b i l i z e r DPA a s
a d d e d .
The
DPA
as
d i s s o l v e d i n t h e
a l c o h o l
w i t h which t h e n i t r o
c e l l u l o s e
was wet and
t h e
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e - a l c o h o l - D P A
mixture
was allowed
t o
age a t
l e a s t one
day
b e f o r e u s e .
The
c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h e m a t e r i a l o f t h i s
example
w a s :
P a r t s
HMX __________________________________ _ 63.0
H i g h v i s c o s i t y
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e
________________ __ 8 . 0
Tributyl a c e t y l c i t r a t e _______________________
_ 28.2
Pigment ( o f Example I ) ____________________ . . 0 . 8
DP ___________________________________
_ 0 4
The v o l u m e o f a l c o h o l u s e d
i n
t h i s
e x a m p l e
amounted
t o 1 . 7 5 m l . / . o f n i t r o c e l l u l o s e ,
0 . 5
m l .
t h e r e o f
b e i n g u s e d
t o d i s s o l v e t h e DPA
and
p r o v i d e
t h e
s o l u t i o n
u s e d
t o
m o i s t e n t h e n i t r o c e l l u l o s e a n d i n c o r p o r a t e t h e r e w i t h t h e
DPA,
t h e
r e s t b e i n g
worked
i n t o
t h e
m i x t u r e
t o a s s u r e
a
h e a v y d o u g h l i k e
c o n s i s t e n c y . T h i s m a t e r i a l w a s r o l l e d
intoa
‘ A
i n c h
t h i c k s h e e t which was
smooth
and
u n i f o r m .
I t
i s p a r t i a l l y c h a r a c t e r i z e d b y
t h e
f o l l o w i n g t e s t r e s u l t s :
d 42° 1 ____ _ 1 . 5 1 5 .
Vacuum s t a b i l i t y t e s t ( 5 g . f o r
4 0
h o u r s )
at
1 1 0° C.
____________________
. 2.78 ml.
g a s .
P i c a t i n n y A r s e n a l
i m p a c t
s e n s i t i v i t y
test
2 _________________________
_ 15 i n c h e s .
P i c a t i n n y
A r s e n a l
e x p l o s i o n
temperature t e s t
3 _______________
.
2 7 0 °
C.
s m o k e .
Cap s e n s i t i v i t y
t e s t
_______________
. M6
a p .
1
T h e
symbol ( 1 4 2 ° i n d i c a t e s
the r a t i o o f the density o f
the
e x p l o s i v e s h e e t a t 20° C .
t o
t h e d e n s i t y
o f
water a t 4 ° ‘ C .
2 T h e Picatinny Arsenal impact
s e n s i t i v i t y
t e s t i s d e s c r i b e d v
i n
“Standard
Laboratory
P r o c e d u r e s
f o r
S e n s i t i v i t y , B r i s a n c e
and S t a b i l i t y o f E x p l o s i v e s , ” PATR N o . 1 4 0 1 , M a r . 1 8 , 1 9 4 4 ,
r e v i s e d F e b .
2 8 ,
1 9 5 0 , W.
H.
Rlnkenbach and A .
J .
C l e a r .
3 _ T h e P i c a t i n n y A r s e n a l e x p l o s i o n t e m p e r a t u r e t e s t i s
d e
s c r i b e d
i n “ S t a n d a r d L a b o r a t o r y
P r o c e d u r e s f o r
S e n s i t i v i t y ,
Brisance
and
S t a b i l i t y
o f
E x p l o s i v e s . ”
PATR
No.
‘ 1 4 0 1 ,
Mar.
1 3 % , 1 9 4 4 , r e v i s e d - F e b .
‘ 2 8 , 1 9 5 0 , W. H .
R i n k e n b a e h a n d A ; J ’ .
ear
' > -
C o m p a r i s o n o f
t h e r e s u l t
o b t a i n e d
i n t h e v a c u u m ‘
s t a
b i l i t y t e s t o f t h i s e x a m p l e
w i t h
t h e
c o r r e s p o n d i n g
t e s t . r e '
s u l t
s h o w n
u n d e r Example
I c l e a r l y
s h o w s
t h e v a l u e o f
DPA o r s t a b i l i z a t i o n o f t h e m i x t u r e .
I Example VII
The
‘ c o m p o s i t i o n
a n d p r o c e d u r e o f t h i s e x a m p l e w e r e
i d e n t i c a l
w i t h t h o s e o f Example V n d Example
- V I
e x ~
c e p t t h a t t h e
c y c l i c
p o l y n i t r a m i n e u s e d c o n s i s t e d
o f a
m i x t u r e
c o n t a i n i n g e q u a l
a m o u n t s o f
HMX
n d R D X . ’
T h i s m i x t u r e
w a s
p r e p a r e d b y m i x i n g
4 7
p a r t s b y w e i g h t
o f t h e HIMX'of E x a m p l e I w i t h 5 3 p a r t s b y w e i g h t o f t h e
RDX
f
Example
I I . T h e
c o m p o s i t i o n o f
t h e
? e x i b l e
e x
p l o s i v e
p r e p a r e d
i n
t h i s e x a m p l e w a s
t h u s :
P a r t s
HMX __ _ _
31.5
RDX_____
__ __ 31.5
H i g h v i s c o s i t y
n i t r o c e l l u l o s e
_________________
__
8 . 0
Tributyl a c e t y l c i t r a t e _______________________ __ 28.2
Pigment (of
Example
) ____________ _ _ . ______ _
0 . 8
DPA
_ 0 . 4
8/20/2019 US3354010.pdf
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/us3354010pdf 4/5
3 , 3 5 4 , 0 1 0
T e s t
r e s u l t s o b t a i n e d w i t h t h i s m a t e r i a l a r e :
( 1 4 2 ° ____________________________ _ 1.057.
V a c u u m s t a b i l i t y t e s t ( 5
g .
f o r 4 0 ‘
h o u r s )
at 1 1 0 ° C . ____________________ _ 2.79 ml . gas.
P i c a t i n n y A r s e n a l
i m p a c t
s e n s i t i v i t y
test
__________________________
_ 1 7
inches.
P i c a t i n n y A r e n s a l e x p l o s i o n
t e m p e r a t u r e
t e s t
__________________________
_
246° C. smoke.
De to n a t i o n velocity
______________
_
7008
m./se c .
Cap
s e n s i t i v i t y t e s t ______________ _ M6 cap .
I n t h e f o l l o w i n g
t h r e e
e x a m p l e s ( E x a m p l e s V I I I , I X ,
and X)
t h e
c y c l i c
p o l y n i t r a m i n e
u s e d
was w e t w i t h 25—
35% w a t e r . T h e w a t e r - w e t p o l y n i t r a m i n e was machine
m i x e d
w i t h t h e p l a s t i c i z e r t r i b u t y l a c e t y l c i t r a t e b e f o r e t h e
