Characterization of Cyclohexanone Inclusions in Class 1 RDX

摘要

Neat Class 1 RDX and Class 1 RDX from prills and pressed Comp A-3 (type II) have been characterized with respect to solvent inclusions in support of a U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) program to model Multiscale Response of Energetic Materials (MREM). It was observed that even dry RDX retains surface-adsorbed solvent and the level of this adsorbed solvent can be reduced, but not eliminated, by heating at 50 C under vacuum. Such treatment does not remove included solvent unless the temperature is high enough to cause the included solvent to expand sufficiently to result in micro-cracks. Desorption gas chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry (MS) was used to quickly estimate both the average volume and weight percent of RDX solvent inclusions. Included solvent in Class 1 RDX accounts for less than 0.04% of total mass, whereas adsorbed solvent accounts for about half that. The average inclusion size for Class 1 RDX was estimated to be approximately 1 m. Pressing Comp A-3 prills into charges results in particle size reduction and loss of solvent inclusions. It is proposed that solvent liberated from inclusions can aid in binder-filler interaction in the pressed sample by solvating material at interfaces and, perhaps, by smoothing sharp edges resulting from cracked particles.