Microstructure of Conventional and Reduced Sensitivity RDX

Abstract

This report results from a contract tasking Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology as follows: Reduced Sensitivity (RS) energetic materials are in the scope of interest, particularly, for the development and refinement of IM PBX as PBXN-109. Such improved versions of current explosive ingredients as RDX and HMX facilitate progress in times of limited funding, as an introduction of new ingredients as FOX-7 would give rise to considerably higher costs. However the mechanisms behind the sensitivity reduction are far from being clear. Particle size, shape, surface morphology, voids, inclusions and impurities, lattice dislocations and deformation twinning of ingredients as RDX and HMX have been discussed to influence the mechanical sensitivity. Within the last years X-ray diffraction methods have been elaborated and refined at ICT, particularly for investigating micro strain in energetic materials, These methods shall now be tested for characterizing and distinguishing reduced sensitivity from conventional RDX. A sample portfolio of different crystal qualities of RDX will be collected, including conventional and reduced sensitivity samples, and the samples will be investigated with advanced X-ray diffraction techniques.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2005
Accession Number
ADA455553

Entities

People

  • Bastian Ludwig
  • Michael J. Herrmann

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Contracts
  • Crystal Defects
  • Crystal Lattices
  • Crystals
  • Diffraction
  • Dislocations
  • Energetic Materials
  • Explosives
  • Insensitive Explosives
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Particle Size
  • Particles
  • Plastic Bonded Explosives
  • Radiation
  • X Rays
  • X-Ray Diffraction

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Economics
  • Materials Science (Mechanical Engineering).
  • Rocket Propulsion.