Influence of Al content and surrounding medium on the energy output of cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX)/Al/wax explosives

Abstract

RDX/Al/wax explosives (RDX = cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine; (O2NNCH2)3) were studied in experiments designed to elucidate the effects of Al content and the surrounding medium on the energy output of aluminized explosives. Explosives with Al contents of 0%, 15%, and 30% were compared in water and concrete media. Results indicate that the explosive's bubble energy in water is higher (by 66%–90%) than the expansion energy in concrete. Heat, sound, and other energies in water (0.28–0.84 MJ kg–1) were much lower than that in concrete (1.49–2.81 MJ kg–1). For shock wave energy, the different media have much less impact on shock wave energy, with that in water being only 0.7%–7% higher than in concrete. The test data presented in this paper improve our understanding of how Al and the surrounding medium contribute to the energy output of the explosive, which is of great significance for improving the energy utilization efficiency of aluminized explosives in water and concrete.

Effect of Temperature and Particle Size on Early Oxidation Characteristics of Aluminum Nanoparticles

“…The quantity and reaction rate of formed oxides increase with a decreasing particle size. Aluminum nanoparticles (ANPs) have found widespread applications in military fields, such as catalysts, rocket propellants, and explosives, owing to their high combustion enthalpy, cost-effectiveness, and environmentally benign combustion products. , However, ANPs possess a much higher surface-to-volume ratio than micrometer-sized aluminum, making them prone to react with oxidizing substances during production and storage, leading to a decline in activity and impacting final efficiency. , Additionally, ANPs are susceptible to combustion, and the heat generated during oxidation in the air can cause spontaneous ignition, resulting in explosion accidents, as seen in the 2014 Kunshan aluminum buffing dust explosion in China . Compared to micron-sized aluminum powder, ANPs present greater challenges in terms of control and sensitivity to temperature. , Therefore, investigating the effects of the particle size and temperature on ANPs holds significant importance in both military and civilian safety production domains.…”

“…The quantity and reaction rate of formed oxides increase with a decreasing particle size. Aluminum nanoparticles (ANPs) have found widespread applications in military fields, 6 such as catalysts, rocket propellants, and explosives, 7 owing to their high combustion enthalpy, cost-effectiveness, and environ-mentally benign combustion products. 8,9 However, ANPs possess a much higher surface-to-volume ratio than micrometer-sized aluminum, making them prone to react with oxidizing substances during production and storage, leading to a decline in activity and impacting final efficiency.…”

Studies on aluminum powder combustion in detonation environment

“…As a high-energy metal fuel, aluminum has been widely used in high-energy explosives [1,2] to increase explosive energy and damage power. [3,4] Compared with ideal explosives, aluminized explosives are typical nonideal explosives, and the detonation process is more complicated. In recent years, studies on the explosive reaction mechanism of aluminized explosives have been extensive, [5,6] but there are few studies on the combustion of aluminum powder in detonation environments.…”