What are the different types of explosives and their characteristics?
Explosive, any substance or device that can be made to produce a volume of rapidly expanding gas in an extremely brief period. There are three fundamental types: mechanical, nuclear, and chemical. A mechanical explosive is one that depends on a physical reaction, such as overloading a container with compressed air.
What are two types of high explosives?
Detonating explosives, such as TNT and dynamite, are characterized by extremely rapid decomposition and development of high pressure, whereas deflagrating explosives, such as black and smokeless powders, involve merely fast burning and produce relatively low pressures.
What is the difference between Semtex and C4?
There are visual differences between Semtex and other plastic explosives, too: while C-4 is off-white in colour, Semtex is red or brick-orange.
Who invented Semtex?
Stanislav Brebera
How is Semtex detonated?
Explosives such as Semtex, C4 or P4 detonate in a spectacular fashion. The shock wave functions to instantaneously convert the solid explosive into a gaseous form many thousands of times its original volume. This in turn releases energy in the form of light, heat and a devastating shock wave or blast.
What does Semtex smell like?
Like the terrorists’, his was in a cassette-recorder. The only difference was that theirs was packed with Semtex, a plastic explosive that smells like the almond confection marzipan, and his contained real marzipan.
Who invented HMX?
Robert Bachmann
Which explosive was first used in WWII?
RDX, abbreviation of Research Department eXplosive or Royal Demolition eXplosive, formally cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, also called cyclonite, hexogen, or T4, powerful explosive, discovered by Georg Friedrich Henning of Germany and patented in 1898 but not used until World War II, when most of the warring powers …
How powerful is HMX?
HMX consists of opaque/transparent crystals with typical crystal sizes ranging from less than 10 microns to more than 1000 microns. Its melting point is 280 °C with a crystal density as high as 1.9 g/cm3. At maximum density its detonation velocity is 9100 m/s with a detonation pressure above 39 GPa.
When was HMX used?
1930
What is HMX used in?
HMX is used in nuclear devices, plastic explosives, rocket fuels, and burster chargers. A small amount of HMX is also formed in making cyclotrimethylene-trinitramine (RDX), another explosive similar in structure to HMX.
How is HMX made?
HMX is produced by the nitration of hexamine with ammonium nitrate and nitric acid in an acetic acid/acetic anhydride solvent at 44°C. The raw materials are mixed in a two-step process and the product is purified by recrystallization. The yield of HMX is about 55-60%, with RDX as an impurity.