The effect of active aluminum content on the detonation performance of aluminized explosives

Abstract

For aluminized explosives, it is important to investigate the effect of the active aluminum content on their detonation performance. Ten formulations of plastic bonded explosives (PBXs) containing aluminum/ammonium perchlorate/1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (Al/AP/RDX) are prepared where their active aluminum contents are in the range 59–99%. Measurements of detonation velocity for these formulations are done by a 430 g cylindrical charge. It is shown that there is a strong linear relationship between the measured detonation velocities and active Al contents in different samples. The measured detonation velocities of the formulations with a higher content of active Al are greater than the other compositions. Thus, it can be expected that the contribution of Al in the reaction zone is higher for the formulations with a higher content of active Al. The results of this work show that the coating of the surface of submicron-sized Al reduces the oxidation rate and increases their service life.