INSENSITIVE HTPB EXPLOSIVE BINDER

ARMY EXPLOSIVES NEED TO BE MADE LESS SENSITIVE AND LESS VULNERABLE TO SYMPATHETIC DETONATION AND FIRE. COST, PROCESSABILITY AND STABILITY ARE ALSO IMPORTANT. KSE HAS UNDER DEVELOPMENT A PROCESS FOR THE DIRECT NITRATION OF HYDROXYL TERMINATED POLYBUTADIENE (HTPB), A RUBBERY BINDER CURRENTLY IN USE FOR EXPLOSIVES AND PROPELLANT CHARGES.THE FUNCTIONAL GROUPS ADDED TO THE HTPB SHOULD INCREASE THE ENERGY DENSITY OF THE BINDER. MORE IMPORTANTLY, FOUR SENSITIVITY TEST PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN PERFORMED ON HIGHLY NITRATED HTPB, AND IT WAS SHOWN TO BE LESS SENSITIVE THAN CURRENT EXPLOSIVE INGREDIENTS, PROBABLY DUE TO OXYGEN ADDITION TO THE POLYMER BACKBONE THROUGH NITRATE ESTERS.THE COMBINATION OF INSENSITIVITY, OXYGEN CONTENT, AND ENERGETIC PROPERTIES OF THE BINDER SHOULD GREATLY EXPAND THE EXPLOSIVE REFORMULATION OPTIONS TO PROVIDE LOW VULNERABILITY EXPLOSIVES AS ENERGETIC AS COMPOSITION B. THE COST EFFECTIVENESS AND PROCESSABILITY ARE ACHIEVED BY UTILIZATION OF AN EXISTING BINDER MATERIAL (HTPB) AND BY THE UTILITY OF EXISTING CAST-CURE EQUIPMENT. IN THE PROPOSED PROGRAM, SYNTHESIS PROCEDURES ARE TO BE OPTIMIZED FOR LOVA CHARACTERISTICS AND BINDER PROPERTIES ARE TO BE CHARACTERIZED. ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM WILL UTILIZE RESOURCES OF THE POLYMER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS.