Experimental Studies on a High Energy Sheet Explosive Based on RDX and Bis(2,2-dinitropropyl) Formal/Acetal (BDNPF/A)

A plastic bonded explosive (PBX) in the form of a sheet explosive was formulated with 1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazinane (RDX) dispersed in a polymeric matrix of a thermoplastic linear polyurethane and a 50/50 wt.% eutectic mixture of energetic plasticizers, viz., bis(2,2-dinitropropyl)formal (BDNPF) and bis(2,2-dinitropropyl)acetal (BDNPA) was used to increase the performance of the sheet explosive in terms of its velocity of detonation (VOD). The sheet explosives were prepared by a rolling process. Natural rubber (ISNR-5) based sheet explosive was taken as the standard composition. The study showed that the BDNPF/A based sheet explosive has a velocity of detonation of 7850 m/s, which is about 900 m/s higher than the standard composition. Thermal analysis of the sheet explosive formulations was performed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).