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Calorimetric Evaluation of Some Variables in Black Powder Making
Author(s) -
Morrow S. I.,
Haywood B.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
propellants, explosives, pyrotechnics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.56
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1521-4087
pISSN - 0721-3115
DOI - 10.1002/prep.19830080502
Subject(s) - pellets , carbon black , grinding , combustion , charcoal , briquette , char , raw material , materials science , ignition system , coal , chemistry , chemical engineering , metallurgy , composite material , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , natural rubber , physics , engineering
Hand‐made, charcoal‐containing black powders exhibited higher heats of combustion than commercial black powders; the values were also higher than values previously reported in the literature. However, commercial pellets attained maximum pressure in a closed bomb upon ignition more rapidly and had better physical integrity than the char‐coal‐containing laboratory products. When channel and furnace blacks were used instead of charcoal, pellets with excellent physical integrity were obtained. These products had lower heats of reaction than commercial black powder and also developed maximum pressure in a closed bomb more slowly. Although adding a small amount of water before or during grinding of mixtures of carbon, sulfur, and potassium nitrate did not affect the heat of reaction of the product significantly, this may have caused the density of some of the products to be abnormally low. Colloidal silica showed promise of being a useful additive in black powder manufacture.