Thermal Analysis and Sensitivity Studies on Guanylurea Dinitramide (GUDN or FOX-12) Based Melt Cast Explosive Formulations

Guanylurea dinitramide (GUDN or FOX-12) is a stable salt of dinitramidic acid with good thermal stability, and is a good candidate for insensitive formulations. Thermal analysis reveals the compatibility of GUDN with benchmark explosives such as RDX and TNT in melt cast explosive formulations. The paper describes a thermal and sensitivity study of GUDN with RDX and TNT. In the present study GUDN was evaluated as a possible replacement for RDX/TNT based aluminized and non aluminized melt cast explosive formulations. The thermal properties of the composition were investigated as well as its sensitivity to impact and friction. Its thermal decomposition behavior was compared to a control composition based on RDX and TNT. The thermal and sensitivity results proved the worth of these compositions for melt cast explosive applications.