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Cast PBX B2238 for Small‐Calibre High Performance Insensitive Munitions
Author(s) -
Kent Ralph
Publication year - 1997
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.19970220203
Subject(s) - explosive material , caliber , detonation , detonator , small arms , shaped charge , hazard , materials science , projectile , nuclear engineering , forensic engineering , jet (fluid) , environmental science , aerospace engineering , engineering , metallurgy , chemistry , business , organic chemistry , international trade
Generally speaking, today's small‐calibre munitions, filled with conventional melt‐cast or pressed high explosives, are classified in the 1.1 or 1.2 Hazard Divisions because they explode when exposed to various threats, such as fuel fire and sympathetic detonation. The RDX‐based B2238 composition is a low‐cost and less sensitive cast PBX originally developed by SNPE for the initiation of cast PBX main charges. While it is easily initiated with conventional detonators, B2238 offers the same degree of insensitivity as other cast PBXs used for main charges (HEXABU 88A or OCTORANE 86B for example) and does not explode when exposed to fire and/or bullet impact. Feasibility tests carried out on several types of small‐calibre munitions have shown B2238 explosive filling to be an excellent solution in the design of small calibre insensitive munitions with a high performance (in terms of fragments and shaped charge jet) comparable to that of the most energetic conventional high explosives such as 98RDX/2wax. As a result, the new IM standards, currently being defined, should allow in the future to reclassify the small‐calibre munitions filled with B2238 in Hazard Divisions other than 1.1 and 1.2.