Satoru Amari, Kazuya Sato, Tadao Yoshida, Yojiro Mizushima and Fumio Hosoya
ABSTRACT: Electric spark sensitivities were determined for mixtures of a reductive element and an oxidizer using three types of testers. One tester is a simplified electric spark tester which distinguishes high-sensitivity energetic materials from medium- or low-sensitivity materials. The other two testers determine the 50% ignition energies; one, for high-sensitivity materials, and the other for medium-sensitivity materials. Typically the reductive elements give the following order of decreasing sensitivity when mixed with oxidizers: Zr > P > B > Al > Mg > S > Si. Without any other oxidizer present, Zr and P are high-sensitivity materials in air. The other elements do not ignite without oxidizer present in the apparatus used. The results from the simplified tester agree with results from the tester for high-sensitivity materials; however, some do not agree with those obtained from the tester for medium-sensitivity materials. This is partly attributed to the difference in the way the samples are confined in the apparatus. Correlations were also examined between the results of the electric spark tester and results from both the drop ball test and the friction test.
Keywords: reductive element, fuel, oxidizer, electric spark sensitivity
Ref: JPyro, Issue 3, 1996, pp1-13
(J3_1)
© Journal of Pyrotechnics and CarnDu Ltd
