Reduced sensitivity, melt-pourable tritonal replacements
This melt-pourable explosive composition shares explosive properties comparable to those of Tritonal and is melt-pourable and castable under conditions comparable to those of Tritonal, but experiences equal or less impact, shock, and thermal sensitivity and avoids the issues of toxicity associated with trinitrotoluene. The trinitrotoluene component of Tritonal is replaced with one or more mononitro aromatic and/or dinitro aromatic melt-pourable binders, such as dinitroanisole, which can be melt poured without presenting the toxicity drawbacks experienced with the use of TNT. The melt-pourable binder can also be combined with a processing aid selected from the group consisting of alkylnitroanilines and arylnitroanilines. The composition also includes oxidizer particles, which are preferably inorganic oxidizer particles, and a reactive metallic fuel, such as aluminum.
1. A melt-pourable explosive composition comprising:
30 weight percent to 70 weight percent of an organic binder comprising 2,4-dinitroanisole,
5 weight percent to 35 weight percent of at least one oxidizer; and
5 weight percent to 35 weight percent of at least one reactive metallic fuel,
wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition is pourable at a temperature in a range of 80° C. to 115° C.
2. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , further comprising an N-alkyl-nitroaniline processing aid.
3. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , further comprising N-methyl-nitroaniline as a processing aid.
4. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one processing aid selected from the group consisting of N-alkyl nitroaniline and N-aryl-nitroaniline, the at least one processing aid accounting for not more than 1 weight percent of the melt-pourable explosive composition.
5. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one reactive metallic fuel comprises aluminum.
6. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition undergoes an onset of thermal decomposition at a temperature that is at least 55.5° C. higher than the temperature at which the melt-pourable explosive composition becomes pourable.
7. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition exhibits a card gap value of less than 105.
8. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition exhibits a card gap value of less than 85.
9. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition has a total energy of detonation of 11.6 kJ/cc to 14.2 kg/cc.
10. A melt-pourable explosive composition comprising:
30 weight percent to 70 weight percent of an organic binder comprising 2,4-dinitroanisole;
5 weight percent to 35 weight percent of at least one inorganic oxidizer; and
5 weight percent to 35 weight percent of at least one reactive metallic fuel;
wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition is pourable at a temperature in a range of 80° C. to 115° C.
11. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , further comprising an N-alkyl-nitroaniline processing aid.
12. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , further comprising N-methyl-nitroaniline as a processing aid.
13. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the organic binder further comprises an N-aryl-nitroaniline.
14. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , further comprising at least one processing aid selected from the group consisting of N-alkyl nitroaniline and N-aryl-nitroaniline, the at least one processing aid accounting for not more than 1 weight percent of the melt-pourable explosive composition.
15. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one inorganic oxidizer comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of perchlorates and nitrates.
16. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one inorganic oxidizer comprises at least one perchlorate selected from the group consisting of ammonium perchlorate, sodium perchlorate, and potassium perchlorate.
17. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the one or more inorganic oxidizers comprise at least one nitrate selected from the group consisting of ammonium nitrate, sodium nitrate, strontium nitrate, and potassium nitrate.
18. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one inorganic oxidizer has an average particle size of 3 microns to 60 microns.
19. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one inorganic oxidizer has an average particle size of 5 microns to 20 microns.
20. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein at least 95 weight percent of the melt-pourable explosive composition comprises a combination of the organic binder, at least one inorganic oxidizer, and at least one reactive metallic fuel.
21. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein at least 99 weight percent of the melt-pourable explosive composition comprises a combination of the organic binder, the at least one inorganic oxidizer, and at least one reactive metallic fuel.
22. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one reactive metallic fuel comprises aluminum.
23. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition undergoes an onset of thermal decomposition at a temperature that is at least 55.5° C. higher than the temperature at which the melt-pourable explosive composition becomes pourable.
24. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition exhibits a card gap value of less than 105.
25. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition exhibits a card gap value of less than 85.
26. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition exhibits a dent depth in a range of 0.713 cm to 0.872 cm.
27. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition has a total energy of detonation of 11.6 kJ/cc to 14.2 kg/cc.
28. A melt-pourable explosive composition comprising:
30 weight percent to 70 weight percent of an organic binder comprising 2,4-dinitroanisole,
5 weight percent to 35 weight percent of at least one inorganic oxidizer; and
5 weight percent to 35 weight percent of at least one reactive metallic fuel;
wherein the melt-pourable explosive composition is melt-pourable at a temperature in a range of 80° C. to 115° C., undergoes an onset of thermal decomposition at a temperature that is at least 55.5° C. higher than the temperature at which the melt-pourable explosive composition becomes pourable, and exhibits a card gap value of less than 105, a dent depth in a range of 0.713 cm to 0.872 cm, and a total energy of detonation of 11.6 kJ/cc to 14.2 kJ/cc.
29. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 28 , wherein the card gap value exhibited by the melt-pourable explosive composition is less than 85.
30. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one oxidizer comprises an inorganic oxidizer present in the melt-pourable explosive composition in a single modal particle size distribution in a range of 5 microns to 50 microns, the inorganic oxidizer constituting from 15 weight percent to 20 weight percent of the melt-pourable explosive composition.
31. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one inorganic oxidizer is present in the melt-pourable explosive composition in a single modal particle size distribution in a range of 5 microns to 50 microns, the at least one inorganic oxidizer constituting from 15 weight percent to 20 weight percent of the melt-pourable explosive composition.
32. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 28 , wherein the at least one inorganic oxidizer comprises an inorganic oxidizer present in the melt-pourable explosive composition in a single modal particle size distribution in a range of 5 microns to 50 microns, the inorganic oxidizer constituting from 15 weight percent to 20 weight percent of the melt-pourable explosive composition.
33. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one oxidizer comprises ammonium perchlorate.
34. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 10 , wherein the at least one inorganic oxidizer comprises ammonium perchlorate.
35. The melt-pourable explosive composition of claim 28 , wherein the at least one inorganic oxidizer comprises ammonium perchlorate.