An explosive mixture of a water-in-oil dispersion (matrix emulsion) and ammonium nitrate granules (prills) of fertilizer grade, mechanically sensitized by microspheres (microballs), of plastic ceramic, glass or mixtures thereof and/or by means of a chemical reaction of bubble generation (gasification), which obtains an explosive composition of greater energy, greater volume of gases, water resistant and sensitive to No. 8 detonator, with a relative density as a cartridge between 0.95 g/cm3 and 1.25 g/cm3, with a detonation rate in an unconfined medium as cartridge in the range from 3500 m/s to 5900 m/s and it is stable for a minimum period of 6 months and where the explosive mixture is used in plastic or paper cartridges (chubs) as a nitrocarbonitrate primer and/or column loading in land blasting (rocks) from soft hardness to very hard in underground mining and/or open pits.

An in-situ process for synthesizing highly pyrophoric foam materials using metal and carbon precursors wherein the precursors serve as foaming and activating agents to disperse and lock nano-sized metal particles within a rigid porous carbon matrix. The resulting carbon matrix is also pyrophoric.

The invention relates to a cast explosive composition. There is provided a precure castable explosive composition comprising an explosive material, a polymerisable binder, said cross linking reagent comprising at least two reactive groups each of which is protected by a labile blocking group.

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The invention relates to a cast explosive composition, particularly to a pre-cure castable explosive composition comprising an explosive material, a polymerisable binder, a microencapsulated cross linking reagent, said microencapsulated cross linking reagent, comprising a cross linking agent encapsulated in a microcapsule.

A method of producing a propellant material element, such as an electrically-operated propellant material, includes extruding a propellant material through a heated nozzle. The nozzle may be heated to a temperature that is above the boiling point of a solvent that is part of the propellant material, yet is below a decomposition temperature of the propellant material. This allows some of the solvent to be driven off during the extruding process, while still preventing initiation of an energy-creating reaction within the material. The heating of the material in the extruding process, and especially the heating of the nozzle that the material is extruded through, may be controlled to remove an amount of solvent that results in the extruded material having desirable properties.

An energetic material comprising an elemental fuel, an oxidizer or other element, and a carbon nanofiller or carbon fiber rods, where the carbon nanofiller or carbon fiber rods are substantially homogeneously dispersed in the energetic material. Methods of tailoring the electrostatic discharge sensitivity of an energetic material are also disclosed. Energetic materials including the elemental fuel, the oxidizer or other element, and an additive are also disclosed, as are methods of reducing ignition sensitivity of the energetic material including the additive. The additive is combined with the elemental fuel and a metal oxide to form the energetic material. The energetic material is heated at a slow rate to render inert the energetic material to ignition while the energetic material remains ignitable when heated at a fast rate.

A method of producing an explosive composition comprising a liquid energetic material and sensitizing voids, the sensitizing voids being present in the liquid energetic material with a non-random distribution, which method comprises: providing a flow of liquid energetic material; and delivering sensitizing voids into the flow of liquid energetic material in a series of pulses to provide regions in the liquid energetic material in which sensitizing voids are sufficiently concentrated to render those regions detonable and regions in the liquid energetic material in which the sensitizing voids are not so concentrated.

A method for processing of expired solid rocket propellant containing ammonium perchlorate, powdered aluminum, and a rubber-based binder for the purpose of recycling ammonium perchlorate, the method comprising: a) wet disintegration of solid propellant in a solution to produce a suspension of solid substances; b) leaching of the suspension of solid substances at an increased temperature in a leaching solution to produce an ammonium perchlorate solution, the leaching solution including at least one of water and unsaturated ammonium perchlorate and containing added inert material based on at least one of porous carbon, diatomaceous earth and a polymer; c) wherein the use of the inert material during the leaching process increases de-agglomeration and decreases re-agglomeration of solid substances of the suspension of solid substances; d) separation of the ammonium perchlorate solution from the suspension of solid substances, the separated ammonium perchlorate solution also containing at least some of the inert material; e) refining of the separated ammonium perchlorate solution from step d) at an increased temperature; f) separation of the at least some of the inert material from the separated ammonium perchlorate solution to produce recycled ammonium perchlorate; g) crystallization of the recycled ammonium perchlorate.

A method for obtaining the explosive charge in dry granular form as well as a device suitable for implementing the method. The method includes: filtering the suspension, by passing same through a static filter in order to obtain a cake containing the granular explosive charge agglomerated by residual liquid; dewatering the cake by subjecting the cake to pressurized gas; splitting the dewatered cake and obtaining a fluidized bed of the desired explosive charge by exposing the dewatered cake to at least one stream of gas; at least one stream of gas being injected, under the dewatered cake to impinge said dewatered cake, according to two consecutive modes and the gas having a humidity height below that of the dewatered cake and a dew point temperature higher than the injection temperature thereof; and stopping at least one stream of gas and recovering the explosive charge in dry, granular form.

A desensitizing agent and method which desensitizes triacetone triperoxide (TATP). The agent includes a common polymer dissolved in a volatile solvent, which allows for direct, rapid application on-site, providing for safer movement and transport of the explosive. Drop heights in impact test results of treated TATP were twice that of neat TATP or TATP treated with conventional agents. The agent is composed of non-toxic, inexpensive components with the polymer delivered in a solvent vehicle, which quickly volatilizes after application and exhibits compatibility with TATP and conventional explosives.