Authors:

Ryan J Turnbull

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

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About Paper:

Plastic bonded explosives (PBXs) are used for applications such as weapon systems, explosive demolition, and mining because they require greater activation energy to detonate, which ensures safety during storage and transportation. PBXs are comprised of an energetic compound, such as RDX, suspended in a polymer matrix which usually makes up 5-10 wt.% of the total composition. Most PBXs are manufactured using molding powders that are made with harsh solvents that release toxic byproducts into the environment and the process itself is time intensive. Utilizing a photopolymer based molding powder removes the need for solvents and decreases the overall manufacturing time. However, a completely uncured molding powder can lead to binder migration during the pressing process. Partially precuring the molding powder will mitigate this issue, but the amount of precure time also impacts the final material properties because it changes the degree of crosslinking prior to being pressed. The objective of this research is to investigate the material properties of PBXs made with a UV curable molding powder subject to varying precure times. Die pressed pellets comprised of sugar as a surrogate suspended in a photopolymer matrix were analyzed by collecting density, surface roughness, and compression testing data. Based on the data obtained from these experiments, an optimal precure time was selected. The results of this work can improve the implementation of a UV binder in PBX production to make the manufacturing process safer and faster. Keywords: Energetics; Mechanical Engineering; Material Science; PBX

Source:

Purdue University / 2025

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Ryan J Turnbull