ESSEX-DIAMOND ORE RESEARCH PROGRAM The Development and Manufacture of a Gelled Nitromethane Explosive for Project ESSEX

摘要

A nitromethane-based explosive was formulated that can be pumped and whose gel structure will uniformly suspend 10 wt% sand for several weeks. Safety and performance characteristics were deter¬mined. A 907-kg (1-ton) quantity was manufactured, emplaced 6 m (20 ft) underground, and successfully fired in a cratering experiment at Fort Peck, Montana. An additional quantity of 42 638 kg (47 tons) was manufactured and test-fired in similar experiments with larger charges conducted at Fort Polk, Louisiana. This explosive has stable and pre¬dictable detonation characteristics and can be mixed and pumped in large quantities using equipment fabricated from readily available commercial items.