Methods for making and using high explosive fills for very small volume applications
AssigneeThe United State of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorsDaniel Stec, III, Gartung Cheng, Brian E. Fuchs, Gerard Gillen, Neha Mehta
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Abstract
High explosives suitable for filling very small volume loading holes in micro-electric initiators for micro-electro-mechanical mechanisms, used as safe and arm devices, are prepared from slurries of crystalline energetic materials and applied using various methods. These methods include swipe loading, pressure loading and syringe loading. A volatile mobile phase may be added to the slurry so as to partially dissolve the energetic material so that, upon evaporation of the mobile phase, the energetic material precipitates and adheres to the loading hole.
Claims25
A method for loading crystalline energetic materials into a small volume loading receptacle of a fixture of an explosive device, said method comprising the steps of:
- preparing a slurry or paste by mixing a crystalline energetic material and a volatile mobile phase material containing a polymeric binder;
- and
- emplacing the slurry or paste containing the crystalline energetic material into the loading receptacle of the explosive device by mechanical displacement of the slurry or paste.
A method for loading crystalline energetic material into small volume loading receptacles of fixtures of explosive devices, the method comprising:
- depositing a small volume of crystalline energetic material including CL-20 into each receptacle by a positive displacement pump, the crystalline energetic being formed into a slurry or paste by adding water and including a volatile mobile phase material containing a polymeric binder of polyvinyl alcohol mixed in with the crystalline energetic material wherein the amount of the binder ranges between 0.01 and 10 wt % of the energetic material to dissolve at least a portion of the energetic material, and the polymeric binder serving to promote adherence between crystals of the crystalline energetic material and a portion of the fixture forming each receptacle by evaporating so the dissolved energetic material precipitates and adheres to the receptacle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.