Swelling behavior of halthane 73-18 polyurethane adhesive in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)
To insure safe performance during the launch and flight of the W79 Artillery Fired Atomic Projectile (AFAP), the assembly gaps in the high explosive assembly were filled with a continuous film of polyurethane elastomer adhesive called Halthane 73-18. To disassemble bonded weapons like the W79, Lawrence Livermore and Mason & Hanger, Pantex Plant have developed a chemical dissolution process that safely removes the high explosive, thereby facilitating the recovery of the pit. The solvent of choice for the W79 AFAP was dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). In the W79 dissolution process, a continuous spray of DMSO is emitted through nozzles mounted in manifold assembly that encircles the HE assembly. The operating pressure and temperature of the DMSO are less than 100 psig and less than 160{degrees}F. Although warm DMSO readily dissolves the LX-10{sup 1} explosive, it cannot dissolve the Halthane 73-18 adhesive due to its chemically crosslinked structure. DMSO does, however, swell the Halthane adhesive. The resulting swollen films are soft and unable to support their own weight, yet they are not necessarily so fragile that they will tear or shred readily under the force of the DMSO spray. Indeed, the swollen Halthane films encountered in several W79 Type 6B 2048 units tested in the Pantex Workstation proved to be quite tenacious. They remained intact under the action of DMSO spray and became an encapsulating barrier that shielded the remaining undissolved HE. This effectively stopped the dissolution process, forcing manual removal in order to complete the dissolution process. By comparison, the swollen Halthane film was readily shredded and eliminated under the action of the DMSO spray nozzles in tests at LLNL in workstation of a different design. This apparent difference in response is the subject of this report.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 664427
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-ID-124748; ON: DE98058822; BR: DP0101011
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 1 Jun 1996
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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