USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

US Government As Represented by the Secretary of the Army

Ashok Surapaneni

Victor Stepanov

Rajen B Patel

Anthony DiStasio

Hongwei Qiu

A method for manufacturing nano-sized insensitive high explosive molding powder usable as a booster HE is provided herein. The method preferably involving the steps of dissolving a binder in a liquid and suspending crystalline high explosive to said liquid, grinding that suspension in a bead mill until the crystalline high explosive is nano-sized, and precipitating the binder and crystalline high explosive using a spray dryer to produce granules containing nano-sized crystalline high explosive. The liquid may be water or an organic solvent so long as the binder is highly soluble in the liquid and the crystalline high explosive is generally insoluble in the liquid. A fatty alcohol, water defoaming/dispersant/surfactant agent can be added to the dissolved binder/suspended crystalline high explosive, to aid in the manufacturability.

Bead milled spray dried nano-explosive

An effective, safe and economical method of manufacture of an insensitive high explosive molding powder usable as a booster HE. The method preferably involving the steps of adding a binder and a crystalline high explosive to water, grinding that suspension in a bead mill until the crystalline high explosive is nano-sized, and precipitating the binder and crystalline high explosive using a spray dryer. Alternatively, an aqueous suspension of the crystalline high explosive can be ground in the bead mill and the binder subsequently added, prior to spray drying. A fatty alcohol, water defoaming/dispersant/surfactant agent can be added to the dissolved binder/suspended crystalline high explosive, to aid in the manufacturability.

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Hackettstown, NJ, United States of America

Ashok Surapaneni