USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Other

Alan D Turner

May L Chan

Gary W Meyers

Dung Tri Bui

Edward M Roy

The invention disclosed herein relates to an explosive capable of enhanced combustion efficiently capable of sustaining a high pressure over a period of time in a confined environment, such as an air tight room or a cave, where oxygen may be in limited supply. An embodiment of the present invention is a metal composite that combines a binder, a reactive metal and an oxidizer. In another embodiment, a plasticizer and a catalyst may be added. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a solid fuel-air explosive (SFAE) having an annular design is used. In a typical annular design, a cylindrical shell of SFAE surrounds the cylindrically shaped high explosive. The SFAE may be selected from the group consisting of reactive metal and metal composite. In addition, the metal composite is formed from at least one reactive metal, at least one binder and an oxidizer.

Castable thermobaric explosive formulations

This invention relates to energetic compositions, which offer increased performance in conjunction with a total absence of halogen based oxidizers to eliminate exhaust products, such as hydrogen chloride. The oxidizers of choice are various combinations neat ammonium dinitramide, ammonium dinitramide prills and CL-20, because these oxidizers do not produce halogen containing exhaust products, such as the HCl gas of ammonium perchlorate. The exhaust these novel propellants consist mostly of CO, HO, N, and small amounts of CO. These exhaust species are friendlier and much less hazardous to the environment than those emitted by conventional AP-based propellants. The plasticizers are selected from energetic plasticizers that do not contain halogens, but maintain other desirable properties.

Minimum signature propellant

This invention relates to energetic compositions, which offer increased performance in conjunction with a total absence of halogen based oxidizers to eliminate exhaust products, such as hydrogen chloride. The oxidizers of choice are various combinations neat ammonium dinitramide, ammonium dinitramide prills and CL-20, because these oxidizers do not produce halogen containing exhaust products, such as the HCl gas of ammonium perchlorate. The exhaust these novel propellants consist mostly of CO , H O, N , and small amounts of CO. These exhaust species are friendlier and much less hazardous to the environment than those emitted by conventional AP-based propellants. The plasticizers are selected from energetic plasticizers that do not contain halogens, but maintain other desirable properties.

The invention disclosed herein relates to solid propellant formulations, which exhibit good processing properties, good safety characteristics, desirable combustion properties, good safety. characteristics and excellent mechanical attributes. The solid propellant formulations disclosed. herein burn at a rate of about 0.5 in/s at 1000 psi and show no pressure slope break up to 8000 psi. The solid propellant formulations of the disclosed invention incorporate oxidizers of varying particle size to avoid a pressure slope break. The solid propellant formulations of the present invention avoid the use of large-size ammonium perchlorate (AP) particles having particle size in the range of 200-400 &mgr;m to avoid the pressure slope break problem, which typically occurs at about 2500 psi to 3500 psi. In addition, the formulations avoid using exotic burn rate catalysts such as superfine iron oxide, chromic oxide, catocene, or carboranes, because some of these catalysts are toxic and hazardous to the environment and give poor IM effects. Preferably, the formulations incorporate aluminum oxide having a surface area of about 85 to about 115 m /g as the burn rate catalyst.

Insensitive high energy booster propellant

The invention disclosed herein relates to solid propellant formulations, which exhibit good processing properties, good safety characteristics, desirable combustion properties, good safety characteristics and excellent mechanical attributes. The solid propellant formulations disclosed herein burn at a rate of about 0.5 in/s at 1000 psi and show no pressure slope break up to 8000 psi. The solid propellant formulations of the disclosed invention incorporate oxidizers of varying particle size to avoid a pressure slope break. The solid propellant formulations of the present invention avoid the use of large-size ammonium perchlorate (AP) particles having particle size in the range of 200-400 &mgr;m to avoid the pressure slope break problem, which typically occurs at about 2500 psi to 3500 psi. In addition, the formulations avoid using exotic burn rate catalysts such as superfine iron oxide, chromic oxide, catocene, or carboranes, because some of these catalysts are toxic and hazardous to the environment and give poor IM effects. Preferably, the formulations incorporate aluminum oxide having a surface area of about 85 to about 115 m /g as the burn rate catalyst.

A process has been developed to produce high-quality high explosive (HE) molding powder which is safe, efficient, has a low-cost, and is non-polluting. The method involves utilizing a chemically inert, non-aqueous carrier fluid as a processing liquid to facilitate the coating process.

Waste-free method of making molding powder

A high energy shock-insensitive explosive composition for use in deformable warheads. This high energy shock-insensitive explosive composition is comprised of a shock-insensitive explosive and hexa-nitro-hexa-aza-isowurtzitane constituting about 35-45 wt. % and a having an average particle size of about 3 .mu.m. The high performance explosive consists of ammonium nitrate, nitroguanidine, 3-nitro-1,2, 4-triazol-5-one, or mixtures of the three and constitutes about 30-40 wt. %. The CL-20 explosive is wet ground in aqueous alcohol to reduce the size thereof, prior to incorporation in the explosive.

Preparation of fine particulate CL-20

A castable, energetic, plastic-bonded explosive containing glycidyl azide lymer (GAP) an energetic polymer binder combined with the energetic plasticizers trimethyloethane trinitrate (TMETN) and trimethylene glycol dinitrate (TEGDN) or bisdinitropropyl formal and acetal mixture (BDNPF/A), and the explosive solid cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX) or cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) having the desirable mechanical properties, insensitivity, and excellent aging properties at much higher solids loading and thus explosive performance than previous compositions. The invention uniquely combines the high energy of high solids loading combined with energetic polymers and plasticizers to provide the insensitivity of rubbery explosive compositions.

Energetic binder explosive

Energetic materials exhibiting low sensitivity comprise a solid solution of itroaliphatic oxidizer, preferably trinitroethyl derivatives, in a plasticized thermoplastic elastomer such as a block copolymer of polystyrene and polyacrylate plasticized with dioctyl adipate. The energetic material is prepared by forming molten plasticized elastomer and then incrementally dissolving the oxidizer in the molten binder.

Method of preparing castable, insensitive energetic compositions

Energetic materials exhibiting low sensitivity comprise a solid solution of nitroaliphatic oxidizer, preferably trinitroethyl derivatives, in plasticized thermoplastic elastomer such as a block copolymer of polystyrene and polyacrylate plasticized with dioctyl adipate. The energetic material is prepared by forming molten plasticized elastomer and then incrementally dissolving the oxidizer in the molten binder.

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Ridgecrest, CA, United States of America

Alan D Turner