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Stabilizer Depletion in Single Base Propellant from Unexploded Ordnance
Author(s) -
Fuchs Rolf,
Niehues Martin
Publication year - 2016
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.201500196
Subject(s) - propellant , stabilizer (aeronautics) , ammunition , nitrocellulose , unexploded ordnance , decomposition , materials science , shelf life , composite material , environmental science , chemistry , aerospace engineering , engineering , metallurgy , organic chemistry , food science , geology , biochemistry , remote sensing , membrane
Abstract Decomposition of nitrocellulose‐based propellant is a well‐known problem that results in insufficient shelf‐life of the ammunition if the propellant is not stabilized with appropriate materials. To investigate the influence of storage conditions on the shelf life of old propellant powder HPLC analytics according to AOP‐48 were carried out to determine the stabilizer consumption at different temperatures. The ingredients of the propellant were also analyzed. The results show that the examined propellant samples from WW II production are still containing stabilizer. Humidity in combination with elevated temperature seems to be the most influencing parameter for decomposition of this type. The analyzed propellants seem to be stable even after about 70 years under bad storage conditions. You might draw conclusions from these results for modern time propellant powders, which are stored under controlled conditions.