Green plasticizers for multibase gun propellants (Lecture)
conference paper
TNO Defence, Security and Safety has a long history of research on gun propellants. Areas investigated are formulating (new ingredients, optimization), manufacturing, charge design and lifetime assessment [1,2,3,4,5]. In conventional propellants inert plasticizers are used to alter performance, processability or barrel erosion. Widely used plasticizers are phthalates, as these plasticizers are cheap, plasticize well and show good compatibility with propellant ingredients and other gun system components. Phthalates, however, are known to be very harmful to humans and the environment. This is why phthalates are being replaced in consumer goods (toys, food packaging, and car components) by green alternatives to reduce the exposure to humans and environment. Soon phthalates will not be allowed in military applications, which implies the need of green alternative plasticizers, having similar specifications. In this paper several alternative plasticizers for phthalates are presented and investigated to be used in multibase gun propellants. The effects of plasticizer type on processability, gun performance and compatibility are investigated. The application of a gun propellant formulation, which contains one of the alternative green plasticizers, is demonstrated in a 35 mm and a 127 mm caliber gun.
TNO Identifier
183482
Article nr.
Lecture V14
Source title
38th International Annual Conference of ICT, Energetic Materials: Characterisation and Performance of Advanced Systems", Karlsruhe, Germany, 26-29 June 2007
Collation
12 p.
Files
To receive the publication files, please send an e-mail request to TNO Repository.