Explosive and propellants Flashcards

1
Q

What components make up guncotton?

A

NC, Nitric Acid and Cotton Fibres

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2
Q

What was added to picric acid explosives to increase the effectiveness?

A

Tetryl as a booster for amplification

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3
Q

What are the ingredients for greek fire?

A

Sulphur, pitch, naphtha

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4
Q

What are the pyrotechnic groups?

A
Illum Compositions
Smoke Compositions
Signal Compositions
Delay Compositions
Tracer Compositions
Priming Compositions
Simulators  
Pyromechanics
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5
Q

What are the effects of pyrotechnics?

A

Heat
Light
Smoke
Noise

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6
Q

What is added to make pyrotechnic colours?

A
Red- Strontium nitrate
Yellow- Sodium nitrate
Green- Barium nitrate
Orange- Calcium nitrate
Blue- Copper carbonate
White- Barium and potassium mixture
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7
Q

What are the characteristic of primer compositions?

A
  • Easy to ignite
  • Generate high heat
  • Not burn to quickly or violently
  • Produce some solid products of combustion
  • Be compatible with the mixtures used
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8
Q

Describe Primary Explosive?

A

A substance or mixture of substances used to initiate a detonation or a burning reaction

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9
Q

What are the types of explosive initiators?

A

Distruptive- Detonators

Igniferous- Igniters

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10
Q

What colour produces red smoke?

A

Strontium nitrate

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11
Q

What does ballisite consist of?

A

Nitroclycerine, nitrocellulose, camphor (wax)

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12
Q

What are the 4 types of propellant?

A

Single Based propellant- NC
Double based propellant- NC and NG
Triple Base propellant- NC, NG and Nitro Guanadine (Picrite) - NGu or NQ
Composite based propellant

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13
Q

Flash receptive detonators are 1 type of explosive, what are 4 others?

A
  • Flash receptive detonators
  • Stab igniters and detonators
  • Percussion igniters
  • Hot bridge wire igniters and detonators
  • Exploding bridge wire detonators
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14
Q

Give an example of some low explosives?

A
  • Gunpowder
  • Pyrotechnics
  • Propellant
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15
Q

Give an example of some high explosive?

A

Tetryl, Comp B, RDX, CE, PE4, C4, PETN, TR1, HMX, TNT

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16
Q

What is the compositon of “COMP B”?

A

RDX- 59.5%
TNT- 39.5%
WAX- 1%

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17
Q

What purposes do additives have in high explosives?

A
1- Decrease Sensitivity
2- Increase Sensitivity
3- Increase Moldability
4- Increase Stability
5- Increase Blast Effect
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18
Q

Caps and primers contain 3 primary components what are they?

A

1- The primary explosive
2- The oxidiser
3- The sensitiser

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19
Q

What is the purpose of a dark ignition tracer?

A
  • To avoid observation of exact location of weapon

- To avoid dazzling the gun layers at night when fired from multiple/automatic weapons.

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20
Q

What are the design requirements for illumination?

A
  • Withstand firing forces
  • Must have the correct luminosity
  • Must burn for the correct time
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21
Q

What are the ideal properties for smoke?

A
  • Immediate in effect
  • Unaffected as far as possible by weather
  • Persistent
  • Non anti personal
  • Non incendiary
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22
Q

What is the main use for armies using smoke?

A

Tactical Screening Smoke
-Tactical smoke, defensive smoke
Signalling

23
Q

What other metals are added to High Explosives to increase heat?

A

Magnesium and aluminum and Zirconium

24
Q

What is the definition of delay? What is it used for?

A

To provide a pyrotechnic delay between the igniting or explosive events.

25
Q

Define propellant?

A

Propellants are an explosive which by controlled burning provides gas pressure required to give motion to a projectile or missile.

26
Q

What explosive was found when they were creating RDX?

A

HMX

27
Q

What are the advantages of single based propellant?

A
  • Cooler burning, therefore less erosive
  • Generate considerably less flash than cordite
  • Ballistics less effected by change in change of temperature
28
Q

Advantages of double based propellant?

A
  • Easy to ignite
  • Higher energy rating than sinlge based
  • Higher flame temp
  • Higher burning rate
29
Q

What additives are in propellant?

SPCFADSS

A

SPCFADSS

  • Stabilizers
  • Plasticisers
  • Coolant
  • Surface moderants
  • Surface lubricants
  • Flash inhibitor
  • Decoppering agents
  • Antiwear additives
30
Q

What are the main chemicals used as a De-coppering agent?

A

Tin and Lead

31
Q

How is the rate of burning controlled?

A

Size, Shape, Composition

32
Q

What are the different types of burning?

A

Progressive- Total surface area increases during burning- Rosette, Multi tubular
Degressive- Total surface area decreases as the propellant burns- Cord, flake, strip/ribbon
Neutral (constant)- External surface decreases at the same rate that internal surface increases during burning- Tubular, cogged, star centre

33
Q

Name the propellant shapes that have a constant burn?

A

Tubular, Cogged, Star Centre, Slotted Tubular

34
Q

What is a carbamite?

A
  • Plastiser- Increase shelf life
  • Stabiliser- Moldability
  • Coolant- Reduce burning temp
  • Surface moderant- Act similar to coolants but on the outer layer
35
Q

Explain burning to detonation

A

Occurs when there is an abrupt acceleration of flame which becomes a shock wave, that ignites and becomes overpressured to ignite an item.

36
Q

What are the two types of high explosives and examples?

A

Primary - sensitive to heat shock or friction. Lead azide, Mercuary fulminate, lead styphlinate

Secondary - less sensitive to stimuli such as heat, shock and friction. RDX, TNT,

37
Q

What does wax do?

A

Binding agent/De-sensitiser

38
Q

Incendiary compositions fall into 2 categories, what are they?

A
  • Metals and alloys

- Combustible fluids

39
Q

What does composite explosive mean?

A

CE- Tetryl- Booster

40
Q

What are the Explosive names for the following?
Cyclotrimethylenetrinitromine- TRIN
Cylotetramethylenetetranitramine- TRAN

A

TRIN- RDX

TRAN- HMX

41
Q

What was the historical composition of gunpowder?

A

Saltpeter- 7 parts
Sulphur- 5 parts
Charcoal- 5 Parts

42
Q

What century was saltpeter refined?

A

14th Century

43
Q

Define HE?

A

Any explosive which once initiated decomposes almost instantaneously into its original molecular structure by the passage of a detonation wave through it, subsequently production of heat and gases and liberation of great energy.

44
Q

What is the purpose of delay Compositions?

A

To provide a pyrotechnic delay between two igniting or explosive events. Pyrotechnic delays are trains of composition, which burn in cigarette fashion from one end to the other.

45
Q

2 Categories of propellants? and sub categories

A

Liquid Propellant- Mono propellant, bi-propellant

Solid Propellant- Colloidal, Composite

46
Q

What are the velocities of detonation for the following?

TNT
CE
PENT
RDX
ANFO
COMP B
A
TNT- 6950 m/s
CE- 7500 m/s
PENT- 8300 m/s
RDX- 8450 m/s
ANFO- 1100-2700 m/s
COMP B- 7800 m/s
47
Q

Factors effecting V of D?

A
  • Density of the charge
  • Charge diameter
  • Degree of confinement
  • Strength of detonator
48
Q

What is the purpose of additives used in HE?

A
Increase sensitivity
Increase blast effect
Improve stability
Improve mouldability
Decrease sensitivity
49
Q

Definition of a pyrotechnic?

A

A material capable of combustion when correctly initiated to produce a special effect.

50
Q

Define Detonation

A

An extremely rapid chemical change with the evolution of heat and gas, accompanied by a violent disruptive effect and intense blast.

51
Q

Two types of explosives?

A

High explosives- TNT, RDX, COMP B

Low Explosives- Propellant, tetryl, ignitors

52
Q

Define low explosive?

A

An explosive substance, which decomposes rapidly through combustion with the evolution of heat and flash and generates large quantity of gaseous products.

53
Q

Define deflagration?

A

Describes subsonic combustion that usually propagates through thermal conductivity.

54
Q

Define igniter compositions?

A

A composition that produces hot flames, usually accompanied by sparks and hot gases, for relatively short times.