Integrated Data Collection Analysis (IDCA) Program — KClO₃ (as received)/Icing Sugar

Technical Report · Mon May 23 00:00:00 EDT 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1305827· OSTI ID:1305827

Sandstrom, Mary M. ^[1]; Brown, Geoffrey W. ^[1]; Preston, Daniel N. ^[1]; Pollard, Colin J. ^[1]; Warner, Kirstin F. ^[2]; Sorenson, Daniel N. ^[2]; Remmers, Daniel L. ^[2]; Shelley, Timothy J. ^[3]; Reyes, Jose A. ^[4]; Hsu, Peter C. ^[5]; Whipple, Richard E. ^[5]; Reynolds, John G. ^[5]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
2. Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC IHD), Indian Head, MD (United States). Indian Head Division
3. Air Force Research Lab. (AFRL/RXQL), Tyndall AFB, FL (United States)
4. Applied Research Associates, Inc., Tyndall AFB, FL (United States)
5. Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

The Integrated Data Collection Analysis (IDCA) program is conducting a proficiency study for Small-Scale Safety and Thermal (SSST) testing of homemade explosives (HMEs). Described here are the results for impact, friction, electrostatic discharge, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis of a mixture of KClO₃ as received from the manufacturer mixed with icing sugar, sized through a 100-mesh sieve—KClO₃/icing sugar (AR) mixture. This material was selected because of the challenge of performing SSST testing of a mixture of two solid materials. The mixture was found to: 1) be more sensitive to impact than RDX, similar to PETN, 2) be the same or less sensitive to friction than PETN, and 3) to be less sensitive to spark than RDX. The thermal analysis showed that the mixture has thermally stability similar to RDX and is perhaps more energetic upon decomposition but variable results indicate sampling issues. Compared to the 100-mesh sieved counter part, the KClO₃/icing sugar (-100) mixture, the AR mixture was found to be about the same sensitivity towards impact, friction and ESD.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; US Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS)
• Contributing Organization: Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC IHD), Indian Head, MD (United States); Air Force Research Lab. (AFRL/RXQL), Tyndall AFB, FL (United States); Applied Research Associates, Inc., Tyndall AFB, FL (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC52-07NA27344; AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1305827
• Report Number(s): LLNL-TR-484715
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
small-scale safety testing
proficiency test
round-robin test
safety testing protocols
HME
RDX
potassium chlorate
sugar