The relationship between shock sensitivity and morphology in granular RDX

Czerski, Helen, Proud, William G. and Field, John E. (2006) The relationship between shock sensitivity and morphology in granular RDX. Central European Journal of Energetic Materials, 3 (3), 3-13.

Abstract

It is known that batches of the secondary explosive RDX from different manufacturers show their significant variation in shock sensitivity. No obvious correlation between shock sensitivity and either chemical composition or morphology has previous been identified which explains this. We use a range of techniques to study the microstructure of RDX crystals and the bulk morphology of granular beds in order to assess which hotspot mechanisms tend to be dominant. Crystals were characterized using mercury porosimetry, environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and optical microscopy.This range of methods yields quantitative and qualitative data on internal void size and number and surface structure. Shock sensitivity is quantified using small-scale gap tests, and this demonstrates the clear differences in sensitivity between batches from different manufacturers. The samples used are from three manufacturers, produced by both the Woolwich and Bachmann processes, and all have an average particle size of approximately 1200 ?RDXm.

This record has no associated files available for download.

Contributors

Download statistics