140 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
140 lines
6.9 KiB
Plaintext
Basic explosives
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This will be the most informative discussion on theoretical and practical
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pyrotechnics that I can deliver in a relatively short phile.
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I don' reccomend that anyone uses this information to create any illegal
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explosives or weapons. It is in fact, not a good idea to use explosive devices
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to inflict personal or property damage because of the possibility of hurting
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yourself or innocent people. Any explosive is dangerous, and should be handled
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only by proffesionals.
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We'll start with the basics:
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There's basically two categories of explosives: high explosives, and low
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explosives. High explosives are also called detonating, and low eplosives
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referred to as burning mixtures. The difference between detonation and burning,
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is that a burning mixture simply burns at a very fast rate, usually not
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exceeding the speed of sound, needing other methods to actually produce an
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explosion. Detonation, on the other hand, occurs almost simultaneously
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thru out the whole mass of the mixture. The main difference between the two,
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chemically, is proximity of the oxidizing and reducing compounds. In detonating
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mixtures, the oxygen is bound rather loosely to the reducing agent (the stuff
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that wants to burn using the oxygen), so loosely in fact, that it takes very
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little external energy to brek them apart. This chemical composition is an
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actual molecular bond as opposed to the simple mixture of burning explosives.
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This means that the oxygen is alot closer to the reducing agent, hence, it is
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much easier to utilize. It should be pointed out, that although the bonds in a
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detonating molecule are loose, they require a great deal of energy to keep them
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bound. The greater the tension contained in these bonds, the more powerful the
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detonation will be, once they are broken apart Because of these differences,
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in order for a low explosive to explode, it must be contained in a very strong
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enclosure. Here, enough pressure and heat can be built up to force the oxygen
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and reducer together, and result in a chain reaction. This is why firecrackers
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have many layers of paper around the chemicals. In a pipe bomb, the resulting
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explosion is usually much more powerful, owing in part to the much stronger
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enclosure. A pipe bomb, however, is extremely dangerous due to the schrapnel
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effect. High explosives, although they usually can be detonated without being
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enclosed, are more powerful when they are confined.
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If all this seems confusing, it will be explained a little better later.
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Here are some examples of the compounds used in low or burning explosives.
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1.oxidizers (listed in increasing level of power):
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A.Sodium nitrate
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B.Sodium chlorate
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C.Ammonium nitrate
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D.Potassium bichromate
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E.Potassium nitrate
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F.Potassium bichlorate
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G.Potassium chlorate
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H.A whole slew of other ones
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2.Reducers:
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A.Sulfer
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B.Charcoal
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C.Aluminum
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D.Magnesium
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E.Titanium
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F.Almost anything else that burns.
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These chemicals are mixed in varying proportions to produce the desired
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effect. The formula varies according to the amount of oxygen in the selected
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oxydizer and the heat at which the selected reducer burns at. Titanium burns
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the hottest, and Potassium chlorate produces the most oxygen. These two will
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burn the fastest when mixed together. One thing I forgot to mention: the heat
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from the burning reducer is what releases the oxygen from the oxydizer. The
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hotter the oxydizer gets, the more oxygen it releases.
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If you ever decide to mix any of these chemicals, DO NOT COMPRESS, SCRAPE,
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OR MAKE ANY SPARKS. Potassium chlorate especially, will combine with sulfur at
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the drop of a hat- sometimes with out any heat or pressure. Potassium chlorate
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should be avoided if at all possible. Potassium bichlorate is almost as
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powerful, but more stable. It is the choice of professional fireworks
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manufacturers.
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One formula for the mixture used in pro fireworks:
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1 part sulfur
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1 part aluminum (titanium is better but costlier)
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2 parts potassium bichlorate
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these quantities are by weight.
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These materials are all very finely divided. The aluminum or titanium should be
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at least 400 mesh, with 600 mesh burning much faster.
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Also, if you mess around with this stuff, wear a surgical mask. The metal dust is
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very damaging to your lungs and can kill you.
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Enough of that. Let's move on to high explosives.
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There are 3 kinds of high explosives:Primary, booster and secondary. Primary
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explosives are extremely sensitive to shock, vibration, heat, electricity, and
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probably insults. PRIMARY explosives are usually contained in a small metal
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tube and electrically ignited. They are used to initiate another, less
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sensitive high explosive, called the SECONDARY explosive. Sometimes, the
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secondary explosive is so insensitive, it needs a BOOSTER explosive to set it
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off. In other words, the primary sets off the booster , which sets off the
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secondary. This process is known as the explosive train. Booster explosives are
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often secondary explosives themselves
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Here are some examples of primary explosives:
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A. Mercury fulminate
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B. Lead azide
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C. ALmost any azide
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D. Lead picrate
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E. Lead styphnate
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F. DDNP
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G. HMTD
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H. TACC (Tetraminecopper (II) chlorate)
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I. Double salts
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Examples of booster and secondary explosives
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A. Nitroglycerine (actually glyceroltrinitrate)
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B. TNT (trinitrotoluene)
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C. RDX/Cyclonite/Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine (RDX= Research Department Explosive)
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D. PBX
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E. PETN (pentarythritoltetranitrate)
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F. Nitrostarch
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G. Cellulose nitrate(guncotton)
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H. Ammonium nitrate
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I. Potassium chlorate
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J. Amatol
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K. Urea nitrate
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L. Reportadly, a liquid made from hydrazine and ammonium nitrate
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M. A whole slew of others
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Contrary to some opinion, nitroglycerine is the most powerful of all
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explosives known. Some might have more shattering power (brisance), but 'nitro
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is the standard against which all other explosives are measured.
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I will explain how alot of these explosives are made in a later installation.
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One primary/secondary combination that merits attention now is HMTD/RDX. The
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rason that this combo is remarkable, is that both explosives are made from the
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same base compound. This compound is hexamethylenetetramine. The HMTD is made
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using hexamethylenetetramine, hydrogen peroxide, and citric acid. The RDX is
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made using hexamethylenetetramine, nitric acid, and acetic anhydride. HMTD is
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very reliable and easy to make (and very sensitive). RDX is one of the most
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powerful explosives, having 94% power of 'nitro, and about 30% more brissance.
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The acetic anhydride can be ommited resulting in only about 40% efficiancy
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( it takes alot more of the other chemicals to make the same amount of final
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product. That will be all till next time. If there are any questions, leave
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me E-mail and I will answer promptly.
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DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS 304-744-2253
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