Pyrotechnic Material Research Articles

Closure of an Unlined Evaporation Pond: a Case History

In 1985, the Fort Worth District, Corps of Engineers, successfully permitted and executed the closure of an unlined evaporation pond at the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant in east Texas. The pond, constructed in 1963 at the site of an active explosive waste-burning ground area, had been used to store explosive wastes resulting from the washout of rocket motor casings and solvent residues from operations involving pyrotechnic material preparation and mixing. Because operation of the unlined evaporation pond appeared to be primarily responsible for locally contaminating the ground water, the Army ceased operation of the pond in 1984 and began formal closure activities for the unit as a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) interim status surface impoundment. Under Phase I of the closure contract, a total of 1,877,113 gal of wastewater was removed and shipped via tank truck to a permitted disposal well some 80 mi from the site. The Phase II contract consisted of removal and transporting of contaminated sludges and soils to a permitted hazardous waste disposal site, backfilling the pond, installing a filter drain system, and turfing. A total of 8,116 yd 3 of material was excavated and shipped from the site.

Improved Mixing, Granulation and Drying of Highly Energetic Pyromixtures

AbstractA safer and more efficient method of mixing, granulating and drying (MIGRAD) highly energetic (UN 1.1) pyrotechnic composition will be reported. The process uses a MIGRAD mixer/granulator that was tailored to mix, granulate and dry a pyrotechnic material (20‐40 lb) within a single mixing chamber. Features of the process include remote loading and unloading, reduced solvent, shortened mixing cycle (40 min), infinitely variable speed control of mixing and granulating impellers, built‐in state‐of‐the‐art fire detection/suppression (UV‐50 ms, IR‐10 ms), explosion venting, heated‐chamber, vacuum drying, remote/programmable controls, and remote mixer cleanup using energy of the mixer. The mixing process will be evaluated for preparation of some 24 pyrotechnic compositions for five Arsenals/Ammo Loading Plants. Hazards Classification Safety Data Sheets were prepared for the 24 pyrotechnic compositions and will be reported along with resultant physical properties of the completed compositions.

Factors Influencing the Pyrotechnic Reaction of Silicon and Red Lead

The delay time of a column of pyrotechnic material when used in a delayed action electric detonator is defined as the time between the application of the initiating electrical impulse and the detonation of the explosive charge of the detonator. The effects of fuel/oxidant ratio and fuel surface area on the delay time have been measured for the silicon/red lead system. From the data obtained it has been possible to identify a possible reaction mechanism for this pyrotechnic composition.

Documentation of the feasibility research on a destructible parachute

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a destructible parachute capable of deceleration, ignition, and disintegration during free flight. Because of the limited time available for the investigation, a standard nylon ribbon parachute was used with a unique pyrotechnic material to disintegrate the nylon. The most reactive pyrotechnic consisted of a mixture of fine particle metal powders, TNT, and an elastomer, such as Viton A. The materials used in the pyrotechnic mixture and the impregnating procedure are discussed. The pyrotechnic impregnated parachute fabric testing, parachute packaging, and flight delivery of experimental payloads at Tonopah Test Range established the feasibility that a sensor can be delivered without detection.