Molecular Dynamics Simulations of trans-1,4,5,8-Tetranitro-1,4,5,8-tetraazadecalin-Based Polymer-Bonded Explosives

Abstract

Molecular dynamics has been applied to investigate the low-sensitivity explosive TNAD (trans-1,4,5,8-tetranitro-1,4,5,8-tetraazadecalin)-based polymer-bonded explosives (PBXs) with four typical fluorine polymers, PVDF (polyvinylidenedifluoride), PCTFE (polychlorotrifluoroethylene), F(2311) (fluorine rubber), and F(2314) (fluorine resin). The elastic constants, mechanical properties (tensile modulus, bulk modulus, shear modulus, and Poission ratio), binding energies, and detonation performances are first reported for the TNAD-based PBXs. The results show that the mechanical properties of TNAD can be effectively improved by the addition of small amounts of fluorine polymers, and the overall effect of fluorine polymers on the mechanical properties of the PBXs along three crystalline surfaces is (001) > (010) > (100). On each crystal surface, improvement in the ductibility made by the fluorine polymers changes approximately in the sequence of PVDF > F(2311) > F(2314) > PCTFE. The binding energies between different TNAD crystalline surfaces and different polymer binders with the same chain segment or mass fraction both decrease in the order of (010) > (100) > (001). The binding properties of the polymers with the same chain segment on each crystal surface of TNAD increase as PVDF < F(2311) < F(2314) < PCTFE, while those of different polymers in the same content decrease in the sequence of PVDF > F(2311) > F(2314) > PCTFE. The detonation performances of the PBXs decrease in comparison with the pure crystal, but they are superior to those of TNT.