Egenskaper til HMX Al PBX

Three different qualities of HMX class 1 crystals have been used to produce a PBX containing Al-powder with the same binder system as PBXN-109 to study if they give products of different properties. Properties characterized are shock sensitivity in Intermediate Scale Gap Test, critical diameter by use of a con test, mechanical properties and Shore A hardness. The processibility was different for all three crystal qualities. One mix gave high, one medium and the third low viscosity. The first two mixes were hard to cast and gave fillings of variable density. The product containing crystals from Ch. 63/03 had a critical diameter of 4.3 mm and a shock sensitivity of 30 kbar. The PBX containing HMX Ch. 105/05 crystals had a critical diameter of 6.4 mm and a shock sensitivity of 42.5 kbar, while the last PBX containing HMX Ch. 794/02 crystals had a critical diameter of 7.4 mm and a shock sensitivity of 40 kbar. These results indicate that there is a significant difference in shock sensitivity of our PBX containing standard HMX compared to modified crystals. All three PBX’s had satisfactory mechanical properties and Shore A hardness.