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Title: The Thermal and Microstructural Effect of Plasticizing HMX-Nitrocellulose Composites

Journal Article · · Journal of Energetic Materials
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
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Thermal ignition via self-heating (cook-off) of cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine (HMX)-containing plastic-bonded explosives (PBXs) is driven by the β → δ phase transition in the HMX, which is affected if not dominated by microstructure. Here, we studied the HMX-binder interface and phase transition for several variations of PBX 9404 (HMX with plasticized nitrocellulose [NC] binder). Neutron reflectometry was used to examine the interface under several conditions—pristine, after aging, and after thermal treatment. The initial interfacial structure depended on the plasticizer, but the interface homogenized over time. Thermal and optical analyses showed that all formulated materials had higher transition temperatures than neat HMX. This effect increased with NC content.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1351234
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-16-29348
Journal Information:
Journal of Energetic Materials, Vol. 36, Issue 1; ISSN 0737-0652
Publisher:
Taylor & FrancisCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 10 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (7)

Compatibility assessment and decomposition kinetics of nitrocellulose with eutectic mixture of organic stabilizers text January 2019
Effect of organic eutectic on nitrocellulose stability during artificial aging text January 2019
In Situ Imaging during Compression of Plastic Bonded Explosives for Damage Modeling journal June 2017
Compatibility assessment and decomposition kinetics of nitrocellulose with eutectic mixture of organic stabilizers text January 2019
Effect of organic eutectic on nitrocellulose stability during artificial aging journal June 2019
Compatibility assessment and decomposition kinetics of nitrocellulose with eutectic mixture of organic stabilizers journal September 2019
Effect of organic eutectic on nitrocellulose stability during artificial aging text January 2019

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Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
explosive
hmx
neutron
interface
nitrocellulose
phase
neutron reflectometry
PBX
phase transformation