Acceleration Ability of Aluminum-Containing Explosive Compositions

Results of a study of explosives with varying oxygen balance by a method based on the acceleration of a steel plate from the charge end face (M-40) have confirmed the possibility of increasing the acceleration ability of these substances owing to the addition of powdered aluminum. The experimental and calculated data suggest that, in the case of mixtures prepared by the conventional method of mechanical mixing, compositions with aluminum nanoparticles and compositions containing aluminum with a particle size on the order of a few microns have similar acceleration ability values. Nanocomposites—systems with a uniform distribution of aluminum nanoparticles in the explosive matrix—can be superior to the mechanical mixtures in acceleration ability in the case of a highly negative oxygen balance of the explosive base. Calculations have shown that the acceleration ability of mixtures of low-sensitivity explosives with aluminum can be further increased owing to the formation of nanocomposites.