R. Meyer J. Köhler A. Homburg Explosives

Table 12. Requirements on Industrial and Military Explosives
Industrial Explosives Military Explosives
according to the purpose of the weapon:
mines, bombs, mine projectiles, rocket war head
charges:
high gas impact
large gas volume
high heat of explosion
(high detonation velocity not needed)
grenades:
high speed splinter formation
high loading density
high detonation velocity
medium strength is sufficient
shaped (hollow charge effect):
extremely high values for density
and detonation velocity (HMX best
component)
high strength + high brisance
performance large gas volume and high heat of explosion =
high strength
high detonation velocity not needed, except:
special gelatins for seismic prospecting
135 Explosives
as unsensitive as possible
firing safety
impact safety
W projectile impact safety
sensitivity safe in handling
cap-sensitive (except: blasting agents and slurries)
safe flash over capacity in long columns
storage life 10 years or longer
neutral
no reaction with metals such as picrate formation
storage life about 6 months or longer neutral
(e.g. no nitric acid as component)
stability and behavior on
storage
completely waterproof, at least when loaded in the
weapon
when cartridged, should withstand 2 h in stagnant
water (for seismic prospecting shots even
longer)
water
resistance
castable or pressible
consistency formable (gelatinous or powder form) to be able
to introduce the cap
fully functional between – 40 °C (– 40°F)
and 60 °C (140°F) or even higher for special purposes.
thermal behavior must not freeze above –25 °C (–13°F)
must withstand about +60 °C (140°F) for
several hours (e.g. in deep mining)