Different Types Of Explosives Essays - Explosives,

Different Types of Explosives Purpose: To learn about the different areas of explosives and the separate explosives related to each group. Explosive adj. 1. of, involving, or characterized by an explosion or explosions. 2. capable of exploding or tending to explode. 3. potentially violent or hazardous; dangerous: an explosive situation. 4. Phonetics. another word for plosive. 5. a substance that decomposes rapidly under certain conditions with the production of gases, which expand by the heat of the reaction. The energy released is used in firearms, blasting, and rocket propulsion. The context of explosive that I am dealing with in my investigation is the fifth context mentioned above. I chose to do explosives because I am very interested in them and their abilities. Basic Description of Explosives Explosives are substances that produces a rapid, violent reaction when exposed to heat, a strong blow or a special detonator. During the reaction, explosives give off large amounts of gases at high pressure. The powerful blast of energy released during an explosion gives explosives many commercial and military uses. Explosives let construction workers clear land away for building roads or buildings with little effort. They are used in digging mines and to loosen the flow of oil deep beneath rock in oil wells. They blow away tunnels through mountains and send rockets into space. In war, explosives are used to damage cities, destroy ships and airplanes, and kill enemy troops. As you see, explosives aren't always used as harmless substances. Explosives may be solids, liquids, or gases. However, all explosives consist of a fuel and an oxidizer--a substance that supplies the oxygen needed to make the fuel burn. When the most powerful explosives detonate, a chemical reaction takes place very quickly (usually in less than a millionth of a second). Liquids and solids change to hot gases that expand with a large blast of heat and pressure. The higher the pressure, the more powerful the explosion is. There are four main types of chemical explosives--primary explosives, high explosives, blasting agents, and low explosives. Primary Explosives should be handled in small quantities. They are very sensitive to heat, and even a spark of static electricity can cause them to explode. A few primary explosives include lead azide, lead styphnate, and mercury fulminate. They are usually used in detonators to set off other explosives. High Explosives detonate with greater power than primary explosives but are less sensitive. They usually require a detonator to set them off. Common types of high explosives include nitroglycerin; RDX; TNT; PETN; and pentolite, a combination of TNT and PETN. Most high explosives are used commercially for blasting and excavating, but they also are used by the military in grenades, bombs, and artillery shells. High explosives can be mixed with substances called plasticizers to produce plastic explosives. Plasticizers, like such as oil and wax, make it easy to shape explosives into various forms. Plastic explosives have been used mostly by terrorists because of the ease of concealment but it has been used in bombs and by the armed forces in land mines. Blasting Agents are the safest and least expensive explosives used in industry. They are usually used to blast away rock in excavating and mining operations. Common blasting agents include dynamite and mixtures of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil. Low Explosives burn rapidly rather than detonate. The most common type of low explosive is gunpowder. It serves as a propellant to shoot ammunition from guns and other weapons. Fireworks are also low explosives. Below, I will talk about high explosives, low explosives, and blasting agents. I will talk about the explosives in each group separately. High Explosives Nitroglycerin Nitroglycerin, also called Nitroglycerol, is a powerful explosive. It is the principal explosive ingredient of dynamite. Pure nitroglycerin is a heavy liquid that is clear and has the consistency of motor oil. The commercial product is usually a yellowish or brownish colour. When nitroglycerin explodes, it expands to form gases that take up more than 1,000 times as much space as the liquid. That would mean that if you had 10 ml of nitroglycerin, the gases created from the explosion would be close to 10,000 ml. The explosion of nitroglycerin is about three times as powerful as that of an equal amount of gunpowder, and the explosion speed is 25 times as fast as that of gunpowder. Although its explosive capabilities are very great, it is not often used as an explosive. Doctors use nitroglycerin to treat certain heart and blood-circulation diseases. RDX (Cyclonite or Hexogen) RDX is a powerful explosive also known as cyclonite and hexogen. It