INVESTIGATION OF 'STATIC'ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA IN LEAD AZIDE HANDLING.
Abstract
The research data and experiments presented in this report covers the generation of static electricity accompanying the operation of automatic machinery, explosives handling equipment and manual operations involved in dispensing and processing explosives. The existence or probability of a static electrical charge has been related to the detonation sensitivity of lead azide. The investigation has disclosed two critical conditions in which lead azide exhibits a drastic increase in sensitivity to low-voltage, low-energy electrical discharge. These are: (1) the presence of fine particles or fracture crystals of lead azide, (2) intimate contact of these particles of explosive with an electrically charged body. After it was established that the amount of electrical energy necessary to initiate the azide was extremely low, our search was directed toward identification of, and a quantitative evaluation of, the possible sources of the electrical or static energy. These were found to be much more prevalent and of higher magnitude than text or reference data indicated. The experiments also proved conclusively that the sensitivity of lead azide, to either impact or electrical discharge, is not materially reduced by immersion in Freon or similar liquids. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 11, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0666225
Entities
People
- H. A. Hanna
- Jack R. Polson