Comparison of the effects of several binders on the combination properties of cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX)

Abstract

Ultrafine RDX (cyclotrimethylene trinitramine, C₃H₆N₆O₆) particles were prepared by ultrasonic assisted spray method, and the RDX-based composites with various polymer binders were obtained by water suspension method. The binders in composites are as follows: ACM (AR-12, AR-14, AR-71), Viton A and F2602. The binding energies between crystal surfaces of RDX and the binders were calculated, which show that the binding energies of RDX and ACM are higher than those of RDX and other binders. Then the crystal morphologies, crystal structures, thermal decomposition properties and mechanical sensitivities of raw RDX, ultrafine RDX and the RDX-based composites were characterized. Finally, the static mechanical properties of the RDX-based composites were tested and the detonation pressures of samples was calculated. The results show that there are different degrees of improvement in the combination properties of RDX after coating by the polymers, and AR-71 is the most suitable binder for coating RDX.