The role of adhesion and binder stiffness in the impact sensitivity of cast composite energetic materials

Abstract

The drop weight impact or drop hammer test has been a staple of energetic material small-scale sensitivity testing for over 100 years, but the link between material properties and sensitivity has proven difficult to evaluate, especially for composite materials. In this study, the work of adhesion and elastic modulus of the binder were varied to assess their impact on the sensitivity of a family of plastic bonded explosive composite energetic materials. Drop weight impact tests performed using the German Bundesanstalt für Materialprufung impact test demonstrated significant decreases in sensitivity as the elastic modulus and the work of adhesion decrease. It was determined that the elastic modulus of the binder was the most significant contributor to the corresponding changes in sensitivity.