Essex - Diamond Ore Research Program. The Development and Manufacture of a Gelled Nitromethane Explosive for Project ESSEX

Abstract

A nitromethane-based explosive was formulated that can be pumped and whose gel structure will uniformly suspend 10 wt% sand for several weeks. Safety and performance characteristics were determined. A 907-kg (1-ton) quantity was manufactured, emplaced 6 m (20 ft) underground, and successfully fired in a cratering experiment at Fort Peck, Montana. An additional quantity of 42638 kg (47 tons) was manufactured and test-fired in similar experiments with larger charges conducted at Fort Polk, LA. This explosive has stable and predictable detonation characteristics and can be mixed and pumped in large quantities using equipment fabricated from readily available commercial items.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 10, 1974
Accession Number
ADA001343

Entities

People

  • D. Wooster
  • F. Helm
  • Miroslav Finger
  • R. Boat

Organizations

  • Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Counter IED

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army
  • Chemistry
  • Detonations
  • Detonators
  • Equations
  • Explosives
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Science
  • Measurement
  • Organic Materials
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Processing Equipment
  • Thin Walls
  • Time Intervals
  • Walls
  • Waterways

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Industrial Economics
  • Rocket Propulsion.