Heavy metal free, environmentally green percussion primer and ordnance and systems incorporating same

a percussion primer and heavy metal technology, applied in the field of percussion primers, can solve the problems of toxic ingredients of conventional percussion primers, limited use, and toxic ddnp

Inactive Publication Date: 2006-10-05
ORBITAL ATK INC
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Many ingredients of conventional percussion primers are toxic and their use is restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency.
DDNP is also toxic because it is known to cause allergic reactions and is possibly carcinogenic.
Conventional percussion primers also commonly include oxidizers, such as potassium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, or potassium chlorate, which are also toxic.
Potassium nitrate and potassium chlorate are also hygroscopic, which increases the complexity of processing the percussion primer because the potassium nitrate and potassium chlorate must be stored in ovens and cannot be used on wet days.
In addition to requiring specialized storage, hygroscopic materials cause the percussion primer to have a sticky consistency, which affects loading and processing of the percussion primer.
Some ingredients of conventional percussion primers are also corrosive, such as potassium chlorate, which is corrosive to steel and corrodes a gun barrel when the percussion primer is used in small arms ammunition.

Method used

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  • Heavy metal free, environmentally green percussion primer and ordnance and systems incorporating same
  • Heavy metal free, environmentally green percussion primer and ordnance and systems incorporating same
  • Heavy metal free, environmentally green percussion primer and ordnance and systems incorporating same

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

Sensitized CL-20: 77.5% CL-20 and 22.5% Aluminum (Alex®)

[0039] CL-20 (50 g) was dissolved in 150 ml of ethyl acetate. The solution was poured into a 400 ml beaker having a magnetic stirring bar and was stirred on a warm hot plate. Alex® aluminum (14.5 g) was poured into the solution, forming a slurry. An air tube was positioned in the beaker to increase the evaporation rate of the ethyl acetate. The ethyl acetate was evaporated until the magnetic stirring bar nearly stuck in the thick slurry that formed upon evaporation of the ethyl acetate. Heptane (50 ml) was added to the beaker and evaporated. An additional amount of heptane (50 ml) was added to the beaker and the beaker removed from the hot plate. After removing the magnetic stirring bar, the sensitized CL-20 was dried by removing the heptane. The dried, sensitized CL-20 was used for testing or was formulated into a percussion primer.

example 2

Sensitized CL-20: 85% CL-20 and 15% Aluminum (Alex)®

[0040] A 250-ml round bottom flask having a magnetic stirring bar was charged with 50 g ethyl acetate. CL-20 (8.5 g) was dissolved in the ethyl acetate. Alex® aluminum (1.5 g) was added to the solution, followed by 150 g of heptane. The ethyl acetate and heptane were slowly removed under vacuum at 40° C. using a rotary evaporator. The dried, sensitized CL-20 was used for testing or was formulated into a percussion primer.

example 3

Sensitized CL-20: 70% CL-20 and 30% Aluminum (Alex®)

[0041] A 250-ml round bottom flask having a magnetic stirring bar was charged with 50 g ethyl acetate. CL-20 (7.08 g) was dissolved in the ethyl acetate. Alex® aluminum (3.08 g) was added to the solution, followed by 150 g of heptane. The ethyl acetate and heptane were slowly removed under vacuum at 40° C. using a rotary evaporator. The dried, sensitized CL-20 was used for testing or was formulated into a percussion primer.

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Abstract

A sensitized explosive that comprises an explosive precipitated onto a sensitizer. The explosive is CL-20, PETN, RDX, HMX, or mixtures thereof and the sensitizer is aluminum, titanium, zirconium, magnesium, melamine, styrene, lithium aluminum hydride, or mixtures thereof. The sensitized explosive is used in a percussion primer that includes a bismuth compound and a melt binder. The bismuth compound is bismuth oxide, bismuth subnitrate, bismuth tetroxide, bismuth sulfide, or mixtures thereof and the melt binder is a wax having a melting point above ambient temperature, trinitrotoluene, poly(3,3-bis(azidomethyl)oxetane), poly(3-azidomethyl-3-methyloxetane), ethyl-3,5-dinitrobenzoate, or mixtures thereof. A gun cartridge and other primer-containing ordnance assemblies employing the percussion primer are also disclosed. Methods of forming the sensitized explosive and the percussion primer are also disclosed.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a percussion primer that is nontoxic, noncorrosive, and nonhygroscopic. More specifically, the present invention relates to a percussion primer that includes a sensitized explosive, an oxidizer, and a melt binder, as well as to ordnance and systems incorporating such a percussion primer. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] A percussion primer is a primary explosive composition that is commonly used to ignite a secondary explosive composition or charge. The primary explosive composition is more sensitive to impact than the secondary explosive composition and burns or deflagrates for a short period of time before detonating. To be effective as a percussion primer, the primary explosive composition must have a relatively low activation energy for a given output energy. In contrast, conventional explosives and insensitive explosives with similar output energies have higher activation energies. Since the primary explosive comp...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): C06B31/28
CPCC06B33/08C06B45/18C06B45/34C06B45/24F42C19/0803F42C19/10C06B45/00C06C7/00
Inventor JOHNSTON, HAROLD E.WARNER, KIRSTIN F.BLAU, REED J.LUSK, SCOTT K.
Owner ORBITAL ATK INC
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