Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The obvious disadvantages of some liquid explosives include long-term storage
impossible, poor stability, easy volatilization, serious corrosivity, and toxicity. That
limits, somehow, their application. Nevertheless, their prominent advantages
encourage people toovercome those shortcomings andmaximize their strengths inuse.
1.2 Composition and Classification of Liquid Explosives
It has developed a series of liquid explosives with multispecies since
first synthesis.
According to their reaction characteristics, liquid explosives are classi
ed into
single compound liquid explosives and liquid explosive mixture. Single compound
liquid explosives, such as nitrate esters, nitro alkanes, azide esters, azide alkanes,
and azide nitro alcohol, consist of a single explosive liquid compound. Without any
other additions, a single compound liquid explosive can be directly initiated by a
detonator or
flame. Its explosion strength is, sometimes, over TNT energy.
Generally, liquid explosive mixture divides two groups. The
fl
first group of liquid
explosives is composed of oxidizers and combustible agents (explosive materials or
nonexplosive materials), such as hydrazine
hydrazine nitrate composite, nitric acid-
nitro toluene composite, perchloric acid-dimethyl ether-water solution composite,
and hydrogen peroxide-ethanol composite. The structure of the second group of
liquid explosive mixture is that one liquid compound is considered as main
explosive component mixing with other additions of explosive or nonexplosive
compounds, such as additions of RDX and others sensitizers, which are added into
nitromethane, nitroglycerin/nitromethane, nitroalcohol/ammonium nitrate.
According to their physical state, liquid explosives can be divided into pure
liquid, condensed state, and paste state. According to their functional groups, liquid
explosives can be divided into nitric acid group, hydrazine nitrate group, nitro
alkane group, azide group, and perchloric acid urea group. It must note that those
classi
-
cations are done based on one of aspects of liquid explosives. There is no
strict discrimination. The classi
cation chart of liquid explosives is shown in
Fig.
1.1
.
To simplify the studies on the composition and detonation properties of liquid
explosives, their components will be divided into elements, oxidizers, combustible
agents, and additives for composition description in this topic. However, when
detonation properties are discussed, the classi
cation method will be based on their
characteristics.
1.3 Raw Materials and Formulation of Liquid Explosives
Many materials can be used to synthesize liquid explosives. In summary, those
materials include oxidizers, combustible agents, additives, and processing additives.
