Polymer-bonded explosives, also called PBX or plastic-bonded explosives, are explosive materials in which explosive powder is bound together in a matrix using small quantities (typically 5–10% by weight) of a synthetic polymer. PBXs are normally used for explosive materials that are not easily melted into a casting, or are otherwise difficult to form.
PBX was first developed in 1952 at Los Alamos National Laboratory, as RDX embedded in polystyrene with diisooctyl phthalate (DEHP) plasticizer. HMX compositions with teflon-based binders were developed in 1960s and 1970s for gun shells and for Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) seismic experiments,
Potential advantages
Polymer-bonded explosives have several potential advantages:
- If the polymer matrix is an elastomer (rubbery material), it tends to absorb shocks, making the PBX very insensitive to accidental detonation, and thus ideal for insensitive munitions.
- Hard polymers can produce PBX that is very rigid and maintains a precisely engineered shape even under severe stress.
- PBX powders can be pressed into a desired shape at room temperature; casting normally requires hazardous melting of the explosive. High pressure pressing can achieve density for the material very close to the theoretical crystal density of the base explosive material.
- Many PBXes are safe to machine; turning solid blocks into complex three-dimensional shapes. For example, a billet of PBX can be precisely shaped on a lathe or CNC machine. This technique is used to machine explosive lenses necessary for modern nuclear weapons.
Binders
Fluoropolymers
Fluoropolymers are advantageous as binders due to their high density (yielding high detonation velocity) and inert chemical behavior (yielding long shelf stability and low aging). They are somewhat brittle, as their glass transition temperature is at room temperature or above. This limits their use to insensitive explosives (e.g. TATB) where the brittleness does not have detrimental effects on safety. They are also difficult to process.
Insults (potential explosive inhibitors)
Explosive yields can be affected by the introduction of mechanical loads or the application of temperature; such damages are called insults. The mechanism of a thermal insult at low temperatures on an explosive is primarily thermomechanical, at higher temperatures it is primarily thermochemical.
Thermomechanical
Thermomechanical mechanisms involve stresses by thermal expansion (namely differential thermal expansions, as thermal gradients tend to be involved), melting/freezing or sublimation/condensation of components, and phase transitions of crystals (e.g. transition of HMX from beta phase to delta phase at 175 °C involves a large change in volume and causes extensive cracking of its crystals).
Thermochemical
Thermochemical changes involve decomposition of the explosives and binders, loss of strength of binder as it softens or melts, or stiffening of the binder if the increased temperature causes crosslinking of the polymer chains. The changes can also significantly alter the porosity of the material, whether by increasing it (fracturing of crystals, vaporization of components) or decreasing it (melting of components). The size distribution of the crystals can be also altered, e.g. by Ostwald ripening. Thermochemical decomposition starts to occur at the crystal nonhomogeneities, e.g. intragranular interfaces between crystal growth zones, on damaged parts of the crystals, or on interfaces of different materials (e.g. crystal/binder). Presence of defects in crystals (cracks, voids, solvent inclusions...) may increase the explosive's sensitivity to mechanical shocks. Has high air blast equivalent, 1.39 times more than Composition B, but low brisance due to low high explosive content.||
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| EDC-8||PETN 76%||RTV silicone 24%||
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| EDC-28||RDX 94%||FPC 461 6%||
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| EDC-29||β-HMX 95%||HTPB 5%||UK composition
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| LX-09-0 ||HMX 93%||2,2-dinitropropyl acrylate (pDNPA) 4.6%; FEFO 2.4%||High-velocity; nuclear weapons (W68). Prone to deterioration and separation of the plasticizer and binder. Caused serious safety problems. FEFO is 1,1-[methylenebis(oxy)]-bis-[2-fluoro-2,2-dinitroethane], liquid explosive.
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| LX-17-0 ||TATB 92.5%||Kel-F 800 7.5%||High-velocity, insensitive; nuclear weapons (B83, W84, W87, W89)
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| PBX 9007||RDX 90%||Polystyrene 9.1%; DOP 0.5%; rosin 0.4%||
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| PBX 9010||RDX 90%||Kel-F 3700 10%||High-velocity; nuclear weapons (W50, B43)
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| PBX 9011||HMX 90%||Estane and 5703-Fl 10%||High-velocity; nuclear weapons (B57 mods 1 and 2)
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| PBX 9205||RDX 92%||Polystyrene 6%; DOP 2%|| Created in 1947 at Los Alamos, later given the PBX 9205 designation.
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| PBX 9404||HMX 94%, NC 3%|| Tris(b-chloroethyl)phosphate (CEF) 3%||High-velocity; nuclear weapons, widely used (B43, W48, W50, W55, W56, B57 mod 2, B61 mods 0, 1, 2, 5, W69). Serious safety problems related to aging and decomposition of the nitrocellulose binder.
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| PBX 9407||RDX 94%||FPC461 6%||
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| PBX 9501||HMX 95%, BDNPA-F 2.5%||Estane 2.5%||High-velocity; nuclear weapons (W76, W78, W88). One of the most extensively studied high explosive formulations. BDNPA-F is 1:1 mixture of bis(2,2-dinitropropyl) acetal and bis(2,2-dinitropropyl) formal.
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|PBXN-110
|HMX 88%||5.4% Polybutadiene, 5% Isodecylpelargonate||
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|PBXN-111
|RDX 20%, AP 43%, Aluminum 25%
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|PBXW-114||HMX 78%, Aluminum 10%||
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|PBXW-115||RDX 20%, AP 43%, Aluminum 25%||
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|PBXN-1||RDX 68%, Aluminum 20%||
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|PBXN-3||RDX 85%||Nylon||AIM-9X Sidewinder Missile
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|PBXN-4||Diaminotrinitrobenzene (DATB) 94%||
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|PBXN-5||HMX 95%||fluoroelastomer 5%||Naval shells
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|PBXN-6||RDX 95%||
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|PBXN-7||RDX 35%, TATB 60%||
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| PBXN-9||HMX 92%||HYTEMP 4454 2%, Diisooctyl adipate (DOA) 6%||
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| XTX 8003||PETN 80%||Sylgard 182 (silicone rubber) 20%||High-velocity, extrudable; nuclear weapons (W68, W76)||
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| XTX 8004||RDX 80%||Sylgard 182 (silicone rubber) 20%||||
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