ad-786 510 development of a high-energy flexible …ad-786 510 development of a high-energy flexible...
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AD-786 510
DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH-ENERGY FLEXIBLE SHEET EXPLOSIVE
Franklin B. Wells
Franklin B. Wells
Prepared for:
Picatinny Arsenal
September 1974
DISTRIBUTED BY:
KITn NatwMl Ticbnical MmtiM Smrici U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 5285 Port Royal Road. Springfield Va. 22151
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Tlie findings in this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Ann)' Position
DISPOSITION
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llnrliMlftpri »cuMTv CkMnncATioM or THIS PAOK
REPORT DOCUMEHTATIOH PAGE I. UttKf MUMIIK
TR 4713
READ mtTRUCTIONt BEFOgE COMPLETWO FORM
00VT ACCUMOH MO. 1. MKCiriCMT't CATALOO HUMBEft
DEVEIÜPMENT OF A HIGH-ENERGY FLEXIBLE SHEET EXPLOSIVE
t. TYPK OF NCPORT • rcmoo COVERED
Technical
». PEftFOMMNO ONO. RK^ONT NUMtCR
• . CONTRACT OR ORAMT MUMaEIV*)
OAS^) 4-72-AOOOl
10. PROGRAM CLEMENT. PROJECT, TASK
7. AUTMONT«)
Franklin B. Wells
»• RENrONMINO ONOANIZATION NAME AND ADDNBU
Franklin B. Wells 593 N. Avalon St. Apt 110 Memphis, Tenn. ?8112
AREA • WORK UNIT NUMSER1
Task Order 73-109 II. CONTROkUMOOFPICE NAME AND AOOREM
Explosives Division SARPA-FR-E Feltman Research Laboratory Picatinny Arsenal, Dover. N.J. 07801
It. REPORT DATE
SEPTEMBER 1974
14 MONITORING AOENCV NAME A AOORCSVIf dl'itrml htm ConlrollM« OHIc«)
Scientific and Technical Information Branch Picatinny Arsenal Dover, N.J. 07801
13. NUMSENOF PAOE«
lt. IECUNITY CLAIt. (»I »It
Unclassified l»«T OECLAitlflCATION/OOWNGRAOINO
'^HBOULE
••. OlITRISUTION tTATEMENT fol «la Naporl)
Approved for public release; distribution unlimited
17. DISTRiauTiON tTATEMENT (ol tA* mbtlrmcl rniffd In Black 10, II dlll;m>l Ira* «apart)
It. tUPPLEMENTARV NOTEt
It. KEY WORDS (Conllnum an rararta aid* II nacaaaary mtd Idanlllr hr »lack nuaibar)
High Energy Flexible Explosives TEDGN Sheet Explosive
™ETN DEDGN Steel Plate Cutting ™PTN Field Demolition
Explosive Blocks
J0 ABSTRACT rCanHmia an naaraa al* II nacaaaary and Idanlllr »r Mac* aitmj
A non-proprietary flexible sheet explosive having high power and brisance was developed through replacement of a major portion of the inert plastlcizer used in the Picatinny Arsenal-developed non-proprietary replacement for DuPont's El 506C, Type II (Refs. 2, 3 and 4) with an energetic liquid nitric ester.
^prmiticad by
NATIONAL TFCHNICAL INFORMATION SfRVIOF IJ S fJ^pflrtmrnt of f.vr . " ..
Spnnj'fielil VA ??1S|
DO | iMTri 1473 EOmoN OP • MOW U I» OMOLETC Unclassified
SECURITY CL AttiriC ATtON OP TNIS PAOE Oala Enfriff)
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TABLE OF COHTEHTS
Page
TABULATION OF FIGURES 11
ABSTRACT 1
OBJECTIVE 2
INTRODUCTION 3
MATERIALS 4
EXPERIMENTAL TESTS AND RESULTS 6
CONCLUSIONS 27
REFERENCES 28
APPENDIX 29
DISTRIBUTION LIST 34
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Page
Figure 1. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-2 0.08-INCH 11 THICK FIRED ON 1/A-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 2. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-2 0.16-INCH 12 THICK FIRED ON 1/4-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 3. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-2 0.25 INCH 13 THICK FIRED ON 1/A-INCH THICK MILD SfEEL PLATE
Figure 4. PROPRIETARY SHEET EXPLOSIVE 0.08-INCH THICK 14 FIRED ON 1/4-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 5. PROPRIETARY SHEET EXPLOSIVE 0.16-INCH THICK 15 FIRED ON 1/4-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 6. PROPRIETARY SHEET EXPLOSIVE 0.25-INCH THICK 16 FIRED ON 1/4-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 7. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-.1. 0.08-INCH 17 THICK FIRED ON 1/4-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 8. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-1 0.16-INCH 18 THICK FIRED ON 1/4-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 9. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-1 0.25-INCH 19 THICK FIRED ON 1/4-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 10. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-2 0.08-INCH 20 THICK FIRED ON 1/2-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 11. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-2 0.16-INCH 21 THICK FIRED ON 1/2-INCH THICK MILD STELL PLATE
figure 12. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-2 0.25-INCH 22 THICK FIRbD ON 1/2-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 13. PROPRIETARY SHEET EXPLOSIVE 0.16-INCH THICK 23 FIRED ON 1/2-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 14. PROPRIETARY SHEET EXPLOSIVE 0.25-INCH THICK 24 FIRED ON 1/2-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
U
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Page
Figure 15. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-1 0.16-INCH 25 THICK FIRED ÖS 1/2-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
Figure 16. PICATINNY SHEET EXPLOSIVE FXRNC-1 0.25-INCH 26 THICK FIRED ON 1/2-INCH THICK MILD STEEL PLATE
111
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ABSTRACT
A non-proprietary flexible sheet explosivfc having high ex- plosive power and brisance was developed through replacement of a major portion of the inert plasticizer used in the Picatinny Arsenal-developed non-proprietary replacement for DuPont's EL 506C, Type II (Refs. 2, 3 and 4) with an energetic liquid nitric ester.
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OBJECTIVE
To develop a more energetic non-proprietary flexible sheet explosive useful In various applications and which, for demolition purposes, Is at least 20% more powerful than the Plcatlnny Arsenal-developed non-proprietary RDX and/or HMX-based flexible sheet explosives (Refs. 2, 3, and 4) or DuPont's PETN-based flexible sheet explosive EL 506C, Type II (Ref. 1).
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INTRODUCTION
A study of the explosive characteristics of available do- mestic flexible sheet explosives, as revealed in Refs. 1 and 2, indicates clearly the desirability of developing more powerful flexible explosive compositions for heavy demolition purposes, especially where required for field application.
The obvious means of Improving explosive power would be to increase the active material content with accompanying reduction of the amount of inert or non-explosive material present. As the work reported In Refs. 2,3, and 4 has shown. Increasing the partlculate high explosive above 76% results in a product which is too stiff for ready processing. Therefore, the application of energetic plasticizers to replace the Inactive material was used as a ba^ls for this investigation. Many liquid nitric esters could be used for this purpose, but in general, those which are most suitable because of their ability to colloid the nitro- cellulose binder are also shock and friction sensitive. Hence, trimethylolethane trinitrate (TMETN) was selected as the principal active plasticizer for investigation. TMETN does not readily colloid nitrocellulose, but this was easily overcome by dissolving TMETN and nitrocellulose in solvents such as ethyl acetate (EtDAc), butyl acetate (BuOAc), or acetone (Me-CO) and evaporating the solvent leaving a residue of nitrocellulose perfectly colloided with TMETN. However, such a TMETN-nitro- cellulose colloid was found to be very stiff making processing difficult or impossible. The presence of a small portion of the inert plasticizer Citroflex A4 (tributylacetyl citrate) was found to alleviate this situation sufficiently and permitted roll- milling of the product.
In essence, the work reported here, which led to Issuance of U.S. Patent 3,400,025 deals with the development of a powerful, non-proprietary sheet explosive comprising a fine partlculate explosive such as RDX, HMX, PETN or mixtures of these, a binder system comprised of a dynamite grade nitrocellulose with a mixed plasticizer containing a nitric ester such as TMETN and a small portion of an organic ester having a low freezing point such as Citroflex A4, an olive drab pigment, and a stabilizer such as diphenylamine (DPA) and/or ethyl centrallte (EC) .
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MATERIALS
The RDX, HMX, PETN, Citroflex A4, and nitrocellulose were the same lots utilized in the development of a non-proprietary flexible sheet explosive. (Ref 2)
A. Trimethylolethane Trinitrate (TMETN)
The three lots of TMETN utilized in this work were identified as follows:
1. duP P.O. A02-O.1359, DuPont Corp.
2. Lot No. CH-30, Trojan Powder Co.
3. Lot No. DC-26, Trojan Powder Co.
These TMETN's were partially characterized by the following test results:
Identification duP CH-30 DC-26
1. Vacuum Stability (mis of gas evolved)
90oC - 1.40 1.01
1000C 7.52 6.11 5.92
2. Explosion Temperature (0C) - 233 233
B. Trimethylolpropane Trinitrate (TMPTN)
The TMPTN used in the work reported was prepared by the nitration of trimethylolpropane under the direction of Mr. V. Siele. A portion of this material was doubly recrystallized and is referred to as TMPTN(R).
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0.56 0.A9
5.76 6.58
1.51 -
17 _
Tests of TMPTN
TMPTN Dealgnation TMPTN TMPTN(R)
1. Vacuum Stability (ml. gas evolved)
90OC
100oC
2. Crystal density (g/cc) .
3. P.A. Impact Test (Inches)
4. Explosion Temperature Test (0C.) 240
5. Picatinny Arsenal Friction Pendulum N.A.
6. Ballistic Mortar Test (TNT ■ 1) 1.25
7. Nitrogen content (%) 15.55
8. Melting point (0C.) 61
Like TMETN, TMPTN did not colloid nitrocellulose readily, necessitating the formation of a colloid by the common solvent and evaporation technique. As long as the temperature of the composition containing nitrocellulose colloided with TMPTN remained above the freezing point of TMPTN, (ca. 61 C) the material remained flexible and rubbery, but when the temperature fell below that point, TMPTN began to crystallize out, and the colloided material hardened with a distinct lightening of color. This was found to be the case even when TMPTN was largely diluted with TMETN showing the utility of TMPTN to be extremely limited.
C. Triethyleneglycoldinitrate (TEGDN)
The TEGDN used in this work was obtained from stock and bore only the designation, trimethylene glycol din^trate (TEGDN). Characterization tests were uot required for this investigation.
D. DiethyleneRlycoldinitrate (DEGDN)
The DEGDN used in this work was obtained from stock and bore only the designation, DEGN duP. stabilized. Characterization
5
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tests were not required for this Investigation.
EXPERIMENTAL TESTS AND RESULTS
Testing of explosives was divided Into two categories:
A. Specification Tests.
1. Bullet Impact Pef 9, par. 4.3.7.
2. Density Ref 9, par 4.3.10
3. Cold Temperature (-40OF) Ref 9, par 4.3. 12
4. Rate of Detonation Ref 9, par 4.3. 13
5. Vacuum Stability Ref 9, Ref 10.
B. Non-Speclflcatlon Tests
1. P.A. Impact Test Ref 10, pg 2-4
2. Explosion Temperature Ref 10, pg 7-8.
3. Friction Pendulum Ref 12
4. Ballistic Mortar Test Ref 11
5. Cap Sensitivity Ref 2.
6. Detonation Continuity In Air Ref 2.
7. Plate Damage Ref 2.
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Specification Tests
1. Bullet Impact
Composition No. 44 Spec.
No fire or explosion No explosion
17 34 35
1.3878 1.5386 1.5056
1.4321 3.6299 1.5490
96.91 94.40 97.20
41 42 44 44*
1.6036 1.5336 1.6206 1.6108
1.6761 1.6106 1.6313 1.6313
95.67 95.28 99.35 98.75
3. Cold Temperature (-40OF)
Since all specimens failed at -40 F, the test temperature was raised to -20 F and again all specimens failed. The temp- erature was elevated to 0 F at which point all specimens met the requirements. The test was conducted at -10 F and again all failed. At -5 F specimens from composition 13 passed whllä those from compositions 46 and 47 did not.
4. Rate of Detonation (m/sec)
Composition No. * li il 34 35
Density 1.470 - 1.539 1.506
Rate of Detonation 7008 7515 74a 7186
2. Density ''R/CC)
Composition No. I*
Density 1.470
TMD 1.5110
X TMD 97.29
Composition No. 37
Density 1.5697
TMD 1.6520
% TMD 95.02
♦Extruded blocks
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4. Rate of Detonation m/sec) (Cont'd)
Composition No. ** 37 41 42
Density 1.570 1.604
Rate of Detonation 7407 7582 7274
* Specimen cross-section 1/4 x 1/4 inch. ** Specimen cross-section 1/4 x 1 inch.
5. Vacuum Stability (ml. gas evolved)
Composition No. 11
100OC 1.07
1100C (24 hrs) 5.95
Composition No.
100oC
110OC (24 hrs)
Composition No.
100 0C
110OC (24 hrs)
Al Ai A3 A4 A5
1.02 1.31 1.49 1.78 1.71
4.51 5.25 6.43 6.88* 6.13*
Bl B2 M B4 B5
1.59 1.89 1.70 2.14 2.56
6.06 5.98 6.18 6.32* 6.10*
ci C2 C3 £♦ C5
1.68 1.88 1.78 l.h'j 2.52
5.36 5.05 5.57 5.46 5.59
* Test was conducted for 20 hours.
Composition No.
100 0C
1100C (8 hrs)
Composition No.
90OC
100OC
1 6 10 33
2.73 2.86 1.74 2.29
1.95 1.86 - -
2b. ii 41 42
0.62 0.24 0.24 0.33
1.09 1.33 1.26 1.55
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B. Nou-Specification Tests
1. P.A. Impact (inches)
Composition No. 32 M il Al hl
10 16 13 11 9
2. Explosion Temperature ( C)
Composition No. 32 34 iZ. hl it*
Smoke 262 258 246 262 -
Flame 520 - - - 235
3. Friction Pendulum (steel shoe)
Composition No. 34
N.A.
4. BalliRtic Mortar Test (TNT -
Composition No. 32
1.245
1.00)
34
1.23
5. Cap Sensitivity
Composition No. 33. 11 38 41 4,
#6 #8 #8 M6 fl
6. Detonation Continuity in Air
Composition No. 44
M6
7. Plate DamaRe
Composition 44 designated as FXRNC-2 where the number 2 indicates 20X 1METN was utilized in this test. Three by ten inch sheets of flexible explosive were detonated on steel witness plates using M6 blasting caps. The test results may best be judged by reference to figures 1-16. The advantage of the presence of
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TMETN In compositions containing 63Z particulate high explosive filler (PETN in the proprietary material and RDX in both FXRNC-1 and FRXNC-2) is clearly illustrated.
10
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CONCLUSIONS
The general conclusions that can be drawn from this Investi- gation are:
1) The test results, if plate damage is considered a criteria of demolition effectiveness, show conclusively that the compositions reported herein are superior to both the proprietary sheet explosive and the Picatinny-developed replacement. The results described in this report indicate clearly the advantage, in explosive effect, to be gained by substituting about seventy percent of the inactive plasticizer (Citroflex A4) with the active plasticizer, TMETN.
2) From the limited results obtained with TMPTN, it can be concluded that TMPTN offers little prospect as an active plasticizer for nitrocellulose in compositions of this type.
3) Vacuum stability tests indicate that only DPA at concentration levels of 0.4 to 1.5 percent have an effect on the composition stability.
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REFERENCES
1. Franklin B. Wells, Some Properties of the Flexible Explosive EL 506C. Type 2. Plcatinny Arsenal Technical Report PATR 4612, February 1973.
2. Franklin B. Wells, Development of a Non-Proprietary Flexible Sheet Explosive. Picatinny Arsenal Technical Report PATR 4713, April 1974.
3. U.S. Patent 3,317,361 by John D. Hopper and Franklin B. Wells, 2 May 1967.
4. U.S. Patent 3,354,010 by John D. Hopper and Franklin B. Wei1 . 21 November 1967.
5. U.S. Patent 3,400,025 by John D. Hopper and Franklin B. Wells, 3 September 1968.
6. RDX MIL-R-398C. Amendment 2(MÜ), 28 April 1971.
7. HMX MIL-H-45444A, (Ord) , Amendment 3, 31 July 1962.
8. Nitrocellulose MIL-N-244A, Amendment 2 (MU) , 30 October 1965.
9. Explosive. Flexible MIL-E-46676A (MU) 17 April 1964.
10. A.J. Clear, Standard Laboratory Procedures for Determining Sensitivity. Brisance. and Stability of Explosives. Picatinny Arsenal Technical Report 3278, December 1967.
11. J.H. Mclvor, Ballistic Mortar Test. Picatinny Arsenal Testing Manual 7-2, 8 Mp.y 1950.
12. J.H. Mclvor, Friction Pendulum. Picatinny Arsenal Testing Manual 7-1, 8 May 1950.
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1 6 10
31.5 gms. 31.5 31.5
4.0 4.0 (HNC 923) 4.0
2.1 3.1 4.1
12.0 11.0 (CH-30) 10.0
0.4 0.4 0.4
25 ml. 25 ml. 25 ml.
APPENDIX
Experimental Formulations
Composition Nos. 1. 6. 10
RDX 545-62
Nitrocellulose (HNC 1534)
Citroflex A4
TMETN (dul')
Pigment
Ethanol
Composition No. 1 was pasty with many small gelatinous lumps throughout. It formed thin sheets but crumbled when consolidated into 1/4 inch thick sheets.
Composition No. 6 yielded good rubbery sheets but were not perfectly smooth.
Composition No. 10 gave good tough rubbery sheets with smooth surfaces.
Composition No. 11
Same as composition No. 6 except that different lots of nitro- cellulose (HNC 923) and TMETN (CH-30) were utilized.
Composition Nos. 11A. 11B. and 11C
In the following three groups of compositions, the effects of stabilizers DPA, EC and mixtures of the two are determined. DPA was added as a 2% ethonal solution and the EC as a 5% ethanol solution. In all cases, including composition No. 11 the control, additional ethanol was added to maintain the level at 50 mis. of ethanol in each batch.
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Series A _!_ _2_ _3_ _4_ _5_
% DPA added 0.2 0.35 0.5 0.75 1.0
Series B _1_ _2_ _3L_ _4_ _5_
% EC added 0.2 0.35 0.5 0.75 1.0
Series C 1 2 3 4 5
% DPA 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.95
X EC 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.05
Composition Nos . 13. 14. 17 -
11 li 15
RDX 545-62 31.5 gms. 31.5 21.5
Nitrocellulose (HNC 947) 4.0 4.0 4.0
Citroflex A4 4.1 13.1 4.1
TMETN (CH-30) 10.0 1.0 20.0
Pigment 0.4 0.4 0.4
DPA 0.2 0.2 0.2
In composition Nos. 13 & 17, 15 mis. of ethyl acetate was utilized while in composition 14, 15 mis. ethanol was used.
30
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Composition Nos. 28. 29. 30, Jl
29 30 28 31
RDX 3-57 31.5 gms. 20.7 - -
Nitrocellulose (HNC 1534) 4.0 4.0 5.9 5.0
TEDGN 4.1 2.0 3.0 -
DEDGN - - - 5.0
TMETN (duP) 10.0 23.0 40.8 39.7
Pigment 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3
Ethanol 20 mis 20 mis 20 mis 30
All four compositions were hard or crumbly mixes when first prepared, but upon addition of acetone all formed pastes. After aging, the compositions were rolled into rubbery sheets with somewhat uneven surfaces.
Composition Nos. 32. 33. 34. 35
RDX 545-62
Nitrocellulose
Citroflex A4
TMETN (CH-30)
Pigment
DPA
ETOAC
1) Nitrocellulose lot HNC 923 2) Nitrocellulose lot HNC 947
32-33 34 35
63.0% 63.0 63.0
..o1 8.02 8.02
6.2 8.2 20.2
22.0 20.0 i
8.0
0.8 0.8 0.8
- 0.3 1
0.4
100 ml 100 ml 100 ml
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Composition NOB. 37-38
HMX 655-61
RDX 545-62
Nitrocellulose
Cltroflex A4
TMETN
Pigment
DPA
1) Nitrocellulose lot HNC 983B 2) Nitrocellulose lot HNC 923 3) TMETN lot DC-26 4) TMETN lot CH-30
11 38
29.6% 63.0
33.4 -
8.01 8.02
8.2 6.2
20.03 22.04
0.8 0.8
0.4 0.25
Composition Nos. 41-42
HMX 655-61
PETN
Nitrocellulose (HNC 983B)
Cltroflex A4
TMETN (DC-26)
Pigment
DPA
ETOAC
^i Al
63.0* -
- 63.0
8.0 8.0
8.2 8.2
20.0 ?0.0
0.8 0.8
0.4 0.4
150 ml 150 ml
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Composition Nos. 44. 46. 47
44 46
RDX 545-62 63Z 63.0
Nitrocellulose (HNC 947) 8.0 8.0
TMETN 20.0 10.0
TMPTN - -
Cltroflex A4 8.2 10.0
Pigment 0.8 0.8
«I 63.0
8.0
19.0
1.0
0.8
33