R. Meyer J. Köhler A. Homburg Explosives

203 Liquid Propellants
explosive strength of these mixtures is very high. However, since the
components are corrosive, their handling is very unpleasant; when
mixed together, the product becomes highly sensitive. For all these
reasons they are no longer employed in practice.
For mud-like ammonium nitrate explosives W Slurries and W Emulsion
Slurries.
Liquid Oxygen Explosives
Flüssigluft-Sprengstoffe; Oxyliquit;
explosifs à l’oxygène liquide
Liquid oxygen explosives are made by impregnating cartridges made
of combustible absorbent materials such as wood dust, cork meal,
peat dust, W Carbene, etc., with liquid oxygen. They must be exploded
immediately after the impregnation and loading, which are carried out
in situ. They are energy-rich and cheap, but their manner of utilization
does not permit rational working, such as detonating a large number of
charges in one priming circuit. They are, accordingly, hardly ever
employed in practice.
Liquid Propellants
Flüssigtreibstoffe; propergols liquides;
(Monergol; Hypergolic)
Combinations of pairs of liquids which react with each other (fuels and
oxidizers in the most general sense of the word) which release energy
in the form of hot gaseous reaction products; the W Gas Jet Velocity
builds up the W Thrust. The caloric yield and the possible magnitude of
the specific impulse may be higher than in one-component systems –
i. e., higher than those of W Monergols, homogeneous propellants,
and composite propellants.
Examples of fuels are alcohol, hydrocarbons, aniline, hydrazine, dimethylhydrazine,
liquid hydrogen, liquid ammonia.
Examples of oxidizers are liquid oxygen, nitric acid, concentrated
H2O2, N2O4, liquid fluorine, nitrogen trifluoride, chlorine trifluoride.
Certain pairs of the reacting liquids are W Hypergolic.
The liquid-propellant technique was developed for rocketry, but it is
also considered today for small caliber cannons (e.g. 30 mm P).