Processing of plastic bonded explosives with new mixing technologies

In order to investigate whether newly available mixing technology is suitable for the processing of plastic-bound explosives, the following investigations were carried out. A comparison was done using an inert formulation based on HTPB/lime and two energetic formulations based on HTPB/AL/Hexogen and Gap/Hexogen. A conventional planetary mixer, a twin mixer from Thinky Corp. and a RAM mixer from Resodyn Corp. were used. In a first step, the processing parameters were determined. Suitable test parameters were selected in order to reduce the energy input during the mixing process in order to avoid particle fracture on the one hand and to ensure sufficient mixing quality on the other. The viscosity of the casting compound was determined to determine the mixing quality. For each formulation, samples were prepared to determine the mechanical properties and the detonation velocity. In addition, samples were used for the Plate Dent Test and the 21 mmm PMMA Gap Test. The aim of the investigations is to clarify to what extent samples with the same properties as with a conventional planetary mixer can be produced using new mixing techniques.