Abstract
EPX-1 is a new plastic explosive (in the research stage) which has been prepared for military and civilian applications. EPX-1 explosive contains pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) with different particle size as explosive filler bonded by nonenergetic thermoplastic binder plasticized by dibutyl phthalate (DBP). In this paper, the production method of EPX-1 was described. The crystal morphology was studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Heat of combustion was determined experimentally. The compatibility of PETN with the polymeric matrix was studied by vacuum stability test. Sensitivities to impact and friction were measured. The detonation velocity was measured experimentally and the detonation characteristics were calculated by EXPLO5 thermodynamic code. For comparison, Semtex 1A, Semtex 10, Formex P1, and Sprängdeg m/46 were studied. It was concluded that PEX-1 has compatible ingredients, it has the highest detonation velocity of all the studied plastic explosives, and its sensitivity is in the same level of the studied plastic explosives except Semtex 1A.
Highlights
Development of plastic explosives is a topic of interest for our team
The thermal stability and decomposition kinetics of selected nitramines bonded by different polymeric matrices have been studied using different techniques [9,10,11,12,13,14,15] and the low temperature thermolytic behaviour has been evaluated by vacuum stability test [16, 17]
They contain pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) as explosive filler bonded by nonexplosive plasticizer; they are used in demolition work and underwater blasting operations [18]
Summary
Several countries all over the world produce plastic explosives containing different explosive fillers bonded by different polymeric matrices. Many researches have been reported about the development of plastic explosives including the preparation, sensitivity, and detonation characteristics of plastic explosives based on several interesting nitramines [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Semtex 10 and Semtex 1A are plastic explosives produced by Explosia Company, Czech Republic. They contain pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) as explosive filler bonded by nonexplosive plasticizer; they are used in demolition work and underwater blasting operations [18]. The crystal morphology, sensitivity, and detonation velocity of the prepared EPX-1 were studied and discussed. The detonation parameters were calculated by EXPLO5 thermodynamic code [19]
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