Explosives Common Materials

8/3/2019 Explosives Common Materials

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From Commonly Available Materials

Desert PublicationsEl Dorado, AR 717al-1751 U. S. A.

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TABLE OF CONT ENTSPage

INT RODUCTION. . - 1APPROACH I .. . . . . . . . 1MA.NUFACTURE OF BLACK POWDER FROM FIELD GRADEPOTASSIUM NITRATE3 .... It


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Optimized Process for Field Manufacture of MethylNitrate, Ethylene Glycol Dinitrate andNitroglycerin .. .. .. .. ., .. _ .. .. ; 1 0 , . 18

Procedure 18Acid Recovery Procedure . . . . ,. . . . . 21 ,,

,,,,Procedure 22Nitrocellulose . . . , . ,. . . l 1 l i ' . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 23Urea Nitrate .. . . .. . . . 26 ,,,;;:

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TableIV. Initiation Tests of Improvised Straight Caps

(5/1611 cornpr e s sed columns of each primaryin 1/ 4n dia, copper tubes) . II

v" Field Manufacture of Improvised Detonators. .,VI. Field Manufacture of Nitric Este rs., - = . ,VII~ Improvised Dynamites .... II ~ ~ VIII. Field Nitric Acid/ Fuel Mixture Tests . IX. Initiation Tests of Sprengel Cellulose Explosives3

List of Illustrations

Schematic Alcohol Still . ~ : I J . Typical Assembly - Improvised Cap. .. . . " .. ...

3. Safe Method to Ram Caps . .. .. .. II + o f, ..

v

Page

1214182127

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INT RODUCTION

Thrust into jungle or underdeveloped areas for lengthyperiods, how do Special Forces synthesize and compound explosivesand propellants from indigenous materials? This .. in essence, isthe problem. With more-or-less sophisticated cornporrent s andmaterials like blasting caps; primacord and military explosives itis relatively easy to construct a host of ingenious and effectiveweapons (e. g. guns, grenadea , time bombs, rrrines , demolition andincendiary devices). But what if ready-made components and evenbasic raw materials are not available? This problem was the basisfor an investigation into an Improvised Munitions Program. Throughthis program relatively simple procedures have been developed tofabricate munitions. This study is one such investigation of the pro-gram ..

The development and dissemination of practical methods forfield synthesis of explosives from comm.only available materialsmay substantially increase the independence, mobility and effective-ness of Special Forces in remote areas while reducing logisticsupport requirements.

APPROACH

Ways and means were dev eloped! to produce worthwhilequantities of the materials basic to the formulation of a propellant.primary and secondary high explosives. These materials extractedby field processes are described in the Improvised Munitions Hand-boo.k2 and were considered to be of sufficient quality to manufactureblack powder and certain high explosives.. In view of these efforts,the following approach was delineated:

1. Manufacture of black powder with field extracted potassitunnitrate by techniques previously evolved.

1See REF ERENC ES

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2. Manufacture of me rcury and/ or silver fulminate (s) orother prirn.ary explosives uaing field synthesized~ nitric acid andfield grade ethyl alcohol (redistilled whiskey).

3. If the manufacture of fulminates is: successful, constructsimple flam.e initiated detonator syste1Tl{ s} using field producedfulrrri.nat es...

4. Investigation of other potentially useful primary explosivesbased on field synthesized or other accessible cherrrrcale,

5. Investigation of the manufacture of high explosives fromfield synthesized materials, e_g. , nitroglycerin and/or Sprengel-type explosi ve mixture s,

MANUFACTURE OF BLACK POWDER FROMFIELD GRADE POTASSIUM NITRAT~

A total of twelve pound s of potassiwn nitrate was extractedand used in the field manufacturing of both black powder and nitricacid. App roxirnat ely 250 grams of black powder manufactured withfield grade pota s aiurn nitrate performed as well as black powdermanufactured with comtnercial grades of potassium nitrate. Anadditional five pounds of black powder was manufactured for furtherstudies.

Improvised Black Powder Process

1.. Three cups of pota ss'ium nitrate, 2 cups of powderedcharcoal, 1/ Z cup of sulfur and 3 cups of water are mixed in aniron skillet or similar container.

2. The mixture is slowly heated and sti rred for about 1/2hour.

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3. The slurry is poured into 5 pints of alcohol (any kind)and stirred for approximately 5 minutes.

4. The slurry is then poured onto a cotton cloth and thealcohol is allowed to drain until the mixture is nearly dry (about1/2 hour).

5. The mixture is then granulated through a screen withapproximately 1/16" diameter holes.

6 .. The granules are spread on a dry surface and allowed tocompletely dry in open air (about one hour at 900 F)..

IMPROVISED PRIMARY mGH EXPLOSIVES

Field Manufacture of Fulminates

Fulminating compounds were prepared as early as the 18thcentury, however, until Howard t s research in the beginning of the19th century J: little reliable information appears in the literature. 5Mercury fulminate was employed by NobelG in the mid-19th centuryon a commercial scale. and remained in use for nearly 7"5yearsuntil supplanted by lead azide and other materials. 7,8

Test s indicated that it is practical to rnanufa cture bothmercury and silver fulminate in the field. Both fulminates arereadily synthesized; both have drawbacks:

1.. Mercury metal may not be readily available in manyareas.

2.. Silver fulminate is extremely sensitive to impact orabrasion ..

Since silver is commonly available (silverware, jewelry)some effort was devoted to reducing the impact sensitivity of thesilver fulminate. This was accomplished with partial success byadding easily available desensitizers such as cornstarch to the wetfulminate.

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Experimental Data

The requisite materials for the production of silver ormercury fulminates are the rnetal s, nitric acid and ethyl (grain)alcohol. Early probe tests, using commercial reagents, indicatedthat field production of fulminates was quite practical. Subsequenttests, using field synthesized Ingredi ent s, brought to light severalpr-obl.erns; Field synthesized nitric acid is ahnost anhydrous andthere is almost no reaction between the metal and the acid. Thisprobl ern was simply eliminated by gradually adding water to theacid until a vigorous reaction was initiated. Ethyl alcohol posed asomewhat greater problern , Cornrn.e rcia l whisky was found to betoo dilute to work properly. However. whisky and! or 'Nine can beredistilled to produce a sati sfactory grade of concentrated ethylalcohol. (See Figure 1.) Apropos J the quality of ethyl alcoholproduced by field distillation technique s was briefly inve stigated.

A crude distillation unit was built from a IS-gallon trashcan and fitted with a condenser coil made from 15 feet of 3/8 inchdiameter copper tubing. A rna sh of crushed corn and water wasprepared, yeast added and the mixture allowed to ferment for fivedays. On distillation the brew yeilded a substantial am.ount ofapp roxi.rna.te Iy 870/0 ethyl alcohol; a concentration satisfactory forfulminate manufacture. Alcohol production was not investigatedat great length as competent technology in this area is almost uni ...versa l , A typical method for field manufacture of ethyl alcohol isdescribed in the following pages.

Initially I: fulminate was produced by di ssolving five grams ofthe metal in 30 cc of diluted field grade nitric acid and adding thesolution to 50 cc of field grade ethyl al.cobo.l, Subsequent testsshowed that satisfactory yields coul.d be produced with reducedamounts of acid; the optimized proc edure is pre sented in theAppendix.

Generally, a batch of fukrndriat e can be produc ed in 1/2 houror less, although we have occa sionally observed, with silver Jo de-layed reactions of up to 1-1/2 hour e. While the fulminate reactionis relatively sa fe, the dense furn es evolved are toxic and the entireprocedure should be carried out in a well ventilated area or outdoors ..

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Since silver (in the form of coins) is generally more readilyavailable than mercury. attempts were made to reduce the silveraalt t s extreme impact sensitivity.

We found that the addition of cornstarch and! or tapioca towet fulminate would significantly reduce irn.pact sensi tivity, On acrude falling-weight test device .. it appeared that cornstarch woulddouble and tapioca triple the drop height necessary to detonatesilver fulminate. (See Table I)

TABLE I. Impact Sensitivity Tests of Im.provisedPrimary Explosives

Prin;,aryMinimum Detonation

Hei&ht d s L i n : t 1 . IIlwl zzL_ I Average DetonationPure Ag fulminateDime Ag fulminateMercury fulminateCornstarch/ AgfulminateTapioca/AgfulminateDouble SaltsHMTD*

Z34

3.44.45.46 7. 291218

10. 514. 119. 1

*HexamethylenetriperoxidediamineIt is believed that diluent desensitization of silver fulminate

in the field is not reliable; differences in particle size and purityof both the fulminate and the desensitizer are likely to produce ..erratic results. For this reason silver fulm.inate should be usedonly when no other alternatives are available.

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TABLE Il , Field Manufacture of Ethyl Alcohol

Materials Required Sources____________----I--~ -Grain (wheat, corn, rice, etc ..)Large drumsMetal tubingYeastBucketsStirring stick or paddleHeat source

Crops, silos. rice paddies, etc.Clean oil drums; etc.Pluna bin g , vehiclesBakeries, food stores

Procedure

1. Fill a gallon bucket with dry grain and moisten withthree cups of water. Cover bucket lightly and allow grain to sprout(about 1 week).

2,. When the grain has spz-outed, c rush or grind it.3. Crush or grind additional 5 gallons of drr grain.4. Mix the crushed dry and sprouted grain and add 3/4

gallon of water. Heat this rna sh until hot but riot unbearable to thehand. Maintain at this temperature for 3 hours. Remove heatand allow mash to cool to about blood temperature.

5. Add 6 teaspoons of yeast to the mash and stir well:cover but do not seal and stand in warm place for 5 days. After5 days, pour- fermented mash into the still and heat as shown inFigure 1. Stop heating and disca rd mash after 1 pint of alcoholper gallon of mash has been collected.

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Field Manufacture of Double Salts

While not generally well known, and not used cornrn ericaIl.y ,the double salt of silver ac etylidel silver nitrate (Ag2 C2 /AgNOs)appears to be a suitable material for im.provised initiators. Doublesalts may be synthe sized in the field from silver (silverwa:re,jewelry) , field synthesized nitric acid, and acetylene generatedfrom calcium carbide.

Experitnental Data

Our first attempt at producing double salts followed the pre-paration given in the literature. 9, 10111 This preparation calledfor the purification of the acetylene by bubbling it through perrnan-ganic acid. We quickly determined that not only was this step un-nee es sary J- but in fact quite dangerous: approxi rnat eky 10 second safter the acetylene contacted the perrnanganic acid, there was asharp explosion that demolished the apparatus. After eliminationof this at ep , the process appeared to be relatively safe, and sub-sequent field production tests proceeded without Lncident , Theoptimized proc edure for the fi eld manufacture of double salts ispresented in the Appendix.

Field Manufacture of IDvlTD

Hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine (H1v1TD)is perphaps theonly organic peroxide that has been seriously considered for com-mercial initiators. 12 This prim.ary explosive is probably theeasi e st and safest to manufacture in the field. The requisitematerials for the production of HMTD are as follows:

1. HexamethylenetetralTIine, a corrrm on drug used forbladder infections and marketed under the narrre s Urotropine,Methenatnine,. Hexarnin and othe r s ,

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2. Hydrogen peroxide3. Citric acid, obtainable in drug stores and in food store s

under the name "Sour Salt ",

ExperiITIental Data

Davis 4 gives the following preparation for I-ThIITD:"Pr epa ratron of Hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine"

Fourteen grams of hexamethyIen et.et r-arrrin e is dissolved in 45grams of 300/0 hydrogen peroxide solution which is sti rred mech-anically in a beaker standing in a freezing mixture of cracked icewith water and a little salt. To the solution 21 grams of powderedcitric acid is added slowly in small portions at a time while thestirring is continued and the t ernp erat.ur e of the mixture is keptat 00 or bel.ow, Aite r all the citric acid has di s solved, the mix-ture is stirred for 3 hours longer while its temperature is keptat 0. The cooling is then dis contdrrued , the mixture is allowedto stand for 2 hours at room temperature, and the white crystallineproduct is filtered off, washed thoroughly with wat er, and rinsedwith alcohol in order that it may dry out more quickly at ordinarytemperatures. "

Our efforts were focused On the examination of Davis' pro-cedure and its potential modification for field use.A brief analysi s of the availability of the components indicated

that only the 300 /0 hydrogen peroxide would be a problem. Howev er ,drug stores commonly carry a 6 0 / 0 hydrogen peroxide solution foruse as a hair bleach. We found that I-nv1TD could be produced withbleach grade pe r-o.xide, In addition" Davis 1s preparation calls forextended agitation of the solution at 0 G C. to obtain maximum yields ..It was found that sati sfactory yields could be obtained with littleagitation at room temperature if the precipitation time was extended.The opti.rrii zed process for H1v1TD in presented in the Appendix.

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Improvised Detonator Systems

Once a pr i.rnary explosive has been improvised the next prob-lem is to safely and effectively utili ze it. To this end, tests wereconducted 'With improvised primary explosives to determine optimummethod( s} of us e, A standa rd Irnpr ovi s ed cap and alte rnate systemswere evolved; an arbitrary cap was used to check performance ofvarious improvi sed high explosives. Figure 2 illustrate s a standardcap configuration.

It is evident that the cap envelope should be capable of beingmanufacturable fr orn readily available material s, On the surfac ethis seems to be a simple problem; one merely needs a small tubein which to load the explosive. This, howeve r t is not the case.For example, caps fabricated with tubes made f'rorn rolled paperor aluminum foil did not provide adequate confinement; henc e,such caps did not reliably initiate high explosive s, In addition.foil or paper tube caps tended to leak when used in conjunction wi thliquid explosive s, With the exc eption of ~22 caliber long rifle ca sesand 5. 56mm ca ses , small arms cartridge cases are generally toolarge ..

The optimum cap envelope material.; judging f rorn probete st s , seernS to be small diameter rneta l tubing and, specifically;1!4u d.iam eter soft copper tube such as that used in vehicles ~ plumbing ..etc.

Initial tests we re conducted with 1/ 4~!diameter copper tubecaps 3-1/ 2H long containing straight J unconfined charges of im--provised mercuryfulminate. These caps were fired into 50 gramtarget cha rg es of prilled TNT (duPont tfpelletolO) confined in papercups. Result s were er ra.ti c, Radically improved reliability was ob -served when the mercury fulminate wa shand ...pre s sed into crimpedtubes. As expected. compres sion also inc reased the initiatingefficiency of other improvised primary explosives.

Compound caps, that is ~ ca ps containing a ba se charge ofhigh explosives tare generally the rrro st efficient and reliable.When suitable solid high explosives are available they can be usedto extend the supply of improvised primaries and provide morepowerful initiators.

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To provide boundary data on efficiency and reliability, bothcompound and straight improvised caps were tested with a variety ofmilitary and improvised high explosive target charges. The resultsof these tests are presented in Tables III and IV.

TABLE III. Initiation Testa of Im.provi sed Compound Caps(5 shots each pzirna ry)

CapBaseCh~rs;e

TargetChars;e

MercuryFulminate HMTD

DoubleSalts

1 in~ Col. 50 grnTNT Pelletol in 5/5 Positive 5/5 Positive 5/5 PositivePaper Cup

1 in. cei.C4 50 gm C4 4/ 5 Po siti ve 4/5 Positive 4/ 5 PositiveNOTE: Caps ignited with. Bickford Safety Fuze. A11 caps made with

1/4 inch diarnet er soft copper tube with 5/ 16 inch hand -pre s sedcolumns of each primary over base charge. (See Figure 2)

In summary t it appea r s that i.rnpz-ovised rne rcury fulminate isgenerally the most reliable initiat or , Also, compound caps containingbase cha rge s of solid high explosives have greater output and ar e,therefore, rn.ore reliable. Improvised and commercial dynamiteappa rently can be reliably initiated with any of the improvis ed caps.

S tr a i g h t caps (without base cha r g containing 5 /1 6 inch c o l u r n nheights of des enitized silver fulrrriria.t e failed to detonate pipe-con ...fined and unconfined 50 gram charges of prilled TNT I C4, UreaNitrate and eTA. However, straight silver fulminate caps reliablyinitiated all improvised and comme rc ia l 400 /0 nitroglyc erin dynamite.Compound silver fulminate caps containing a base charge of 1 inchhand-pre S5ed PETN ext racted from prdrnacord reliably initiated pipe-confined prilled TNT i eTA; nitric acid/paper and 2.11unconfineddyarni te s , Initiation of C4 (2 out of 5 shots J unc on fined] wa s erratic,and there were no detonations in 5 trails of pipe-confined improvisedurea nitrate. Because of the extreme sensitivitiy of silver ful.rninate,we do not recommend its manufacture or use if other materials areavailable.

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Fuze

1/4 Inch Copper Tube

Crimp

Tape to Bring Fuze to Size

A Few Granules of Black Powder

5/16 - 3/8 Inch Colum.n of PriITlaryExplosive

1 - 1-1/ 2 Inch Column of Seconda ryExplosi ve (If Used)

Small Paper Wad

Crimp

Figure 2. Typical AsseJTlbly - Improvised Cap

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OPTIMIZED PROCEDURE FOR FIELDMANUFACTURE OF IMPROVISED DETONATORS

TABLE V. Field Manufacture of lrn.provi.sed Detonators

Materials Required Source-Prima ry Expkosi .re1/4 in .. diameter Soft Copperor Alwninum TubingWood, brass or alwninurnram to fit tubingFuze to fit tubing

ImprovisedPlumbing. vehicles

Black Powder

ImprovisedCornrn ercia.l or military blastingfuzeImprovised fuzeCommercial or military munitionsImprovisedTNT i C4, PETNooste rExplosi ve

Procedure

1. Make a 2-1/2 inch deep hole in a large piece of wood, ori n t o ground behind s m a l l ba r r ic a d e , o r into a t r e e s t u m p , (SeeFigure 3)

2. Cut a piece of copper or aluminum tubing 3 inches longand close one end with rammed paper plug or by harnrne r-ing shut.

3. Place the tube on the wood block or in the hole behind thebarricade, open end up..

4. Fi rrnly pres 5 on 1 to 1-1 / 2 inche s column of crushedTNT J C4 pieces or PETN extracted from primacord with wood ,aluminum or brass ram ..

5. Gently (but firmly) pres 5 in about 3/8 inch column of dryprimary explosive, as shown in sket ch, Carefully remove zarn ,


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6. Sprinkle a few granule s of black powder into the tube(opti ona1 ) 7. Wrap fuze with tape or strip of paper to fit inside diam-eter of cap tube (sliding fit), if necessary.8. Press fuze firmly into cap and crimp lightly with pliersor tape securely in place"

CAUTION! Shield body behind or below barricade and keep headand face clear when pressing in primary explosive

NOTE: If no secondary explosive is used in cap.a fired. ZZcaliberlong rifle case may be used as a container for the charge.

wooden bar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ram< ; < : , phoie in stump

nJln kneeling with headbelow Ieve' of cap

7

Figure 3. Safe Method to Ram Capsi i ~. . . . . . .l i l l ! : ~ ' / "' : ' : ' : ' : ' : ' : ' , : . , , : ..

, ! : ~ : ! : ! ~ i...:: :

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IMPROVISED SECONDARY mGH EXPLOSIVES

Field Manufacture of Nitric Esters

A lite rature sea rch di sc Iosed thre e cornrn on alcohols of potentialint e r est: methyl alcohol. ethylene glycol. and gIyc er'i.n, 12 t 13Methyl nitrate appears to be the safest and easiest of the three

esters to prepa re in the field. Among its advantages are:1. low sensitivity to acid contamination2.. distillation point much below explosion temperature (BP =

65 cO C., explosion temperature ~ 1 5 0 : 0 C.) thus reducing prepa rationhaza rd s ..

Methyl nitrate is relatively volatile and, for this reason, isnot used comm ercially It: 13 However , its volatility may be anadvantage in field manufacture as it avoids decontamination problemsfrom spillage. Conversely t explosive mixture s containing methylnitrate should be well wrapped to avoid undue evaporation. Ethyleneglycol dinitrate ranks as second choice for improvi sed production.While slightly more powe rful than methyl nit rate .13 it has the di s-advantage of slower separation from the nitration acids and a greatersensitivity to cont.arn inat ion,

Glyc eryl t rinit rate (nit roglyc erin) l:~"14,,15 is the least desi rablefor field manufacture because of greater sensitivity to acid contam-ination and mechanical shock, Howeve r J the availability of glycerinvia anim.al fat is a distinct advantage.

All of the latter explosives are liquids and therefore difficultto employ in munitions. Nobel solved the problem by absorbingnitroglyc erin into diatom.ac eous ea rt h, 13,14 Other common ab-sorbents can, of cour se , be used in irnprovi s ed manufacture ..Shredded paper J: cloth and sawdust, for example, provide quitesatisfactory ab sorbents for improvi sed dynamite s,

In addition, any of the latter nitric esters can be used tosensitize and increase the brisance of ammonium nitrate explosives.Thus i relatively small quantities of these powerful high explosivescan be greatly extended.

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Experimental Data

Prepartion of the nitric esters of methyl alcohol, ethyleneglycol and glycerin are quite similar. 6,12 ..13.14.15 The simplestprocedure is to slowly add the alcohol to concentrated nitric acidand then drown the mixture in a large exceSs of water J permittingthe explosive ester to settle out. While this process is relativelysafe and easy. it is very wasteful of nitric acid. Nitration wit hmixed acids (nitric and sulfuric) conserves nitric acid and improvesexplosive yield. And, since sulfuric acid is required to improvisenit ric _ it is beneficial to conserve both materials. sulfuric acid inparticular. Hence, our efforts were devoted to evolving a fieldprocess that conserved acid and provided for acid recovery afternitration.

Field purification of spent acid is a somewhat haza rdousprocess , This hazard is greater with acid remaining from thenitration of ethylene glycol and glycerin that it is with acid frommethyl nitrate prepa ra tion, Spent acids contain trace amounts ofexplosi ve that will not sepa rate on sta.ndi ng, Since purification andrecovery of spent acid requires boiling to drive off impurities,there is some change of violent decompo sition of di 5solved explosi ve ,Such decomposition usually splashes acid from the vessel; highorder detonation is unlikely unles s there is an acutal layer of ex-plosive left in the containe r ,

Fortunately I spent acid recovery Ipurification does not re-qri re close attendance and, for this reason, the hazard can beminimized"

Optimized proce s s for field manufacture of methyl ni t rate,ethylene glycol dinitrate and nit roglycerin are presented alongwith spent acid recovery procedure. Improvised dynamite formu-lation procedures are described in the following pages.

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Optimized ProceSS for Field Manufacture ofMethyl Nit rat e , Ethylene Glycol Dinitrate

and Nit roglyc erin

TABLE VI. Field Manufacture of Nitric EstersMaterial Required Sources. . . . . . . . ,.' ' - ,._,Sulfuric Acid Clear battery acid boiled untilwhite fumes appearNitric Acid Field Grade Nitric AcidMethyl Alcohol MethanolWood alcohol (not denatured

alcohol).Anti .....reezeAnti-freeze (pe rrnanent)GlycolDrug StoresDrug StoresMedicine bottles

Ethylene GlycolGlycerinEyedropperAluminumStainle ss Steel TeaspoonWax CoatedCeramic

Sodium Carbonate orSodi urn Bica rbonateLarge Drarn et er (2qt) JarsNarrow Clear Glass Jar

Washing soda 1 OptionalBaking soda

Procedure

1. Add 24 teaspoons sulfuric acid to 16-1/2 teaspoons nitricacid in a 2 quart size bottle.CAUTION! Acid will burn skin and destroy clothing. If any is

spilled, wash it away with a large quantity of water. Do notinhale fume s.

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2. Plac e the bottle in a stream or large basin (3- 5 gallon) ofcold water and allow acid to cool.

3. Rapidly swirl the bottle to create a whirlpool in theliquid (without spla shing) while keeping the bottom portion of thejar in the water.

... . .. . .. ~ . : : :. . . . . . . .

Step 3. SVlirling bottle in basin of water whileadding alcohol4. While continually swirling. add", 1/2 teaspoon at a time,

13..1/2 teaspoons methyl alcohol or 9 teaspoon s ethylene glycol or8 teaspoons glycerin allowing mixture to cool between a.ddi.tion s,NOTE: Complete addition should take approximately 10 minutes.

CAUTION! If there is a sudden inc rea se in the amount of fum esproduced or if the solution suddenly turns much darker or be-gins to froth, immediately dump charge in the wat er, (Note:within 10 seconds.) This will halt the reaction and preventan acc'ident, Any explosive form ed rnay be recovered if basin isused, See Step 7 in procedure for separation.

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. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

5. After the final addition J 8M r l for anothe r 30- 45 second sand then allow bottle to stand in wat er until the two layer s s epa rat e,(rn et hy l alcohol 5 rninut es , glyc e rin 10 minute s. ethylene glycol20 - 25 minut es) ..NOT E: This sepa ration and tho s e to follow a re best done in

sm aIl e r , narrower jars to allow a sharper distinctionbetween layers.

6. With an eye dropper. or aIurn i.nurn , stainless steel,ceramic or wax-coated spoon ; remove top layer and put in anotherbottle. T'hi s liquid is the explosive.

Ste p 6. Rern ovi ng top layer of explosivewith eyedropper

7. Add an equal quantity of water to the explosive and swirl.Allow to sepa rate again, The ex pl osive is now the bottom laye r ..

8. Carefully remove the water (see Step 6) and repeatStep 7 with a solution of table spoon of socii um ca rbonate or bi-carbonate and water (liZ tablespoon carbonate/quart of wat er},T h e ex p l o s ie m a y b e stored u n d er th e salt o luti o n , If carbonateis not available use plain wat er II

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TABLE. VII. Improvised Dynarrrit eaMate rials Needed:

~ dll 11 I

Stabilizer(optional)

Methyl nitrateNitroglycolNitroglycerinFine sawdustShredded paperShredded clothBaking sodaWashing sodaSlaked Lime

Improvisea Explosive

Absorbent

CupPansTeaspoonWooden stick

Procedure

1. Place one firmly packed cup of absorbent and 1/2 tea-spoon of stabilizer in a small pan.

22

Z, While stirring with a wooden stick, slowly add explosiveuntil the mass is very damp but not wet enough to drip... If m.ix getstoo wet add more absorbent.

CAUTION! Do not handle liquid explo si ve or allow to contactskin. If thi s happen s, flush away Irnrn edi at ely withlarge quantity of water. Keep any grit. sand or dirtout of mix.

If n:F~kiEg am.t::onium n~trate:ba se_~r.~~iteL, Place one firmly packed cup of fine ground ammonium

nitrate, 1/2 teaspoon of stabilize r and about 1/4 cup loosely packedfine sawdust (if very fine use Ie SSt if coa rse more)" in a smallpan,


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2"" While stirring with a wooden st ick , slowly add about4-1/2 to 6 tea spoons of liquid explosive.. When properly made thematerial is just damp looking, but do not use less than 3 teaspoonsof liquid explosive .. - the more used; the more brisant the dynarrrit e,NOTE: Store rnethyl nitrate dynamites in sealed containers to pre-

vent evaporation.

.":.1 4. . . - . , j ~ . :. " (. ~~ .. ..

' ...:'.

) = .. .. .i : .. .. :toI ... ~~. .

Step 2. Adding explosive to sawdust and shavings

Nit roc ellulose

Some consideration wa s given to field manufacture of nit ro-cellulose and subsequent preparation of improvised smokelesspowder. The nitration of cellulose suitable for sm.okeless powdermanufacture requires relatively large quantities of pure sulfuricand nitric acids. and extensive purification and control proc es se s".In addition, many of the components (e. g. acetone) are not likelyto be available in the field, Davi s f s laboratory preparation" ofnit roc el lul ose, given below, is indicative of the problems.

1 '1 ;;',~.:.,~parati0':l of PY,ro,cel~u~?se"

; ! ! ! ! : ~ Equal volumes of sulfuric acid (1. 84) and nitric acid O. 42) : : ~ : : : ! ; ! : : : : : . : a r e mixed by pouring the sulfuric acid with stirring info the nitric

I I @ : : :

i l l l l i : : :[ i I i ! : ; ,

2 3


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acid, and the mixture is allowed to cool to room temperature.Five gram s of absorbent cotton, previously dried at 100 D for 2hou r s , is thrust quickly Irito 150 cc , of this mixed acid and allowedto remain there for 30 minutes while it is stirred occasionally witha glass rod. The cotton is removed, freed as much as possiblefrom acid by pres sing against the side of the yes sel , and introduc edquickly into a large beake r of cold water where it is sti rred aboutin such manner as to accomplish the prompt dilution of the acid withwhich it is aat u rated, The product is washed thoroughly in runningwater, and boiled for an hour with distilled water in a large beak er ,then boiled three times with fresh portion s of di stilled water for ahalf hour each time. If the water from the last boiling shows theslighte st t race of acidity to litmus paper ~ the pyrocel1ulose oughtto be rinsed and boiled one e rnor e with di stilled wate r , Finally jthe excess of water is wrung out, and the pyrocellulose is dried ina paper tray for 48 hours at room temperature. rT

tt Guncotton is made in substantially the same way as pyrocelluloseexcept that a stronger mixed acid containing approximately 240/0 nitricacid, 6 7 0 / 0 sulfuric acid, and 9 0 / 0 water is used. Long -fiber high-grade guncotton is usually manufactured by the pot process and withthe use of mixed acid which is nearly anhydrous. Iron pots aregenerally used. For the nit ration of 4 pounds of dry cotton, 140pounds of acid is introduced into the pot and the cotton is irnmer sedin it, pressed down, and allowed to digest for 20 or 30 minutes.The contents of several pot s a re centrifuged at one e, and the productis stabilized in the sam e way as pyroc ellulose exc ept that it is notpulped. nIn view of logistic and stability problems" and the relatively difficultsynthesis of nitrocellulose, we discarded it as a candidate forimprovised systems. An alternate form of nitrocellulose was ~how ev er , evolved in the high explosive system described previously"

RDX

RDX, cyclot rimethylenetrinitramine, is the major constituentof a number of powerful military explo aiyes (C4, for instanc e).When first considered, RD:X appeared to be a worthwhile additionto the family of field irnprovi sed explo si ve s ,

24


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tet r-arrrrne , a common urinary di ai.nfec tant , avat Iabl.e under m a n y . : > ' . : : :: } ; : ' :; : :. ; : } :; : ( :~ \ l ; :; ; / / /: : :: l H H n \ \ : ) \ : ) \: ) \ : ) \ : \ ) x : ; . : . : : . : :

and mat erial is poor, and effa rt is bette r di rected to higher yi.el


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Urea Nitrate

Urea Nitrate .. mentioned in the literature 1,. 818 as an explosi ve ,also appeared to be a good candidate for field synthesis. Whilerelatively easy to prepare. it suffers from several disadvantages.Namely f urea nit rate requi res heavy confinement and very stronginitiation to achieve high order detonation. Additionally ~ improvisedurea nitrate. even when succ es sfully detonated, is not a partie ularlybri sant explosive. Urea nitrate has , as its sole advantage J the readyavailability of its basic component ...urine. Proc edures for the fieldpreparation of urea nitrate is presented in the Appendix.

26

Sprengel Explo si yes

According to Davis~ Sprengel explosives were introduced in1871 by He rrnan Spr engel, The distingui shing features of Sprengelexplosives are thei r preparation just prior to use t and that one ormore of their components are liquids. Generally, Sprengel explosivescontain strong nitric acid and fuel. Accordingly. these explosi ves aredifficult to handle. Sprengel-type explosives are ~ gene rally. brisantand easy to manufacture. Since they are normally mixed just prior touse, they are in a sense tailored to field improvisation.

This investigation covered potential candidate fuels to be usedin conjunction with field grade nitric acid. Table VIII summarizesthe results of this study.

The three candidates from the latter test s , cotton cloth, papertowels. and mononitrobenzene were subjected to further evaluation.

Nit ric ACid/ Cellulose Explosive s

Several types of commonly available cellulose were tested incombination with field grade nitric acid" The se included: printedand sized paper, new-dyed and printed cotton cloth .. plain paper


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TABLE VIII. Field Nitric Acid/ Fuel Mixture Test s

MaterialTurpentineSugarKeroseneSawdustGasolineBore cleaner - MilitaryBore cleaner -Cornrn e rc ia.I

Mononit robenzene(oil of Mirbane)

Paper towelsWashed cotton cloth

Violent reaction on contact with acidViolent reaction on contact with acidImmi scible .. no reactionViolent reaction on contact with acidImmiscible - no reactionIrn:mi scible - no reactionViolent reaction on contact with acidMiscible - no immediate reactionNo immediate reactionNo immediate reaction

towels and well-washed cotton cloth. Printed paper, sized paper.and dyed or printed cotton cloth reacted quickly with the acid andwere therefore eliminated. Plain paper towels and washed cottoncloth, however, appeared reasonably stable.

Te sts we re then conducted with the latter Sprengel-type eXMIIplosi yes to determine thei r brisanc e and reliability ~ The results ofthese tests are shown in Table IX.

Additional initiation data on cellulose ..Sprengel explosi ve s withimprovised caps is given in Table IV..

Although these explosives are easy to prepare, there are anumber of problems associated with their use and handIing, Thenitric acid component will attack rnost containers and it is usuallynecessary to protect surfaces with a coating of wax or acid- resi stant~"paint .. Alurninwn-cased blasting caps resist the acid but wires and/:'for fuze junctions must be protected. Copper ....ased caps (such asimprovised devices) are rapidly corroded and acid protection is man ....utory. There is considerable acid fuming when these explosivesare prepared and rrri.xture should take plac e only in well ventilatedreas or outdoors.

27


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rct'U\j'1j~ ~ ., . .. .1 : ~ ~ ~ T ' " ' I : "F'4U U {) U U~~~~~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ _ _ _ - . . . . . . . . . . . . . - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .00 00 00 m ( i )_.Ii Q . ....-I ~ -~d) _.( ill G o ) >jJ3 ; 3 : ? ; ~ ~o 0 0 0 0~~~~~

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Here again, as with urea nitrate and nitrocellulose j the trade-off of materials is poo r, The cellulose/acid system consumes aninordinate amount of nit ric acid that could be more effectively utilizedin producing Ia rge quantities of explosive such as the nitric esters.Thus J' the Sprengel explosi ves offe r a.lternate systems that can beemployed only where conditions warrant.

Proc edure for prepa ration of cellulose Iacid explosives is givenin the Appendix.

Nitric Acid/Monomirrobenzene (ttHellhoffite 1 1 ) Explosives

A Sprengel explosive cornp ei sed of a mixture of mononitroben-zene and nitric acid has been pat ent ed' and apparently used under thename of "Hellhoffite". The literature recommends an optimum mixtureof 28 parts rnononitrobenzene to 72 parts strong nit ric acid.

Little work was done with this mixture other than to check itsgeneral cha ract eristies. In use J the mononitrobenzene is sirn plypoured into the acid and stirred. Attempts to absorb the mixtureonto clean cotton or paper were defeated by violent reaction. Testsof mononit rohenzene with field grade nitric acid indicated that thematerials were compatible. A 1-1/2 inch diarnete r by 6 inch length..wax ...coated pipe "bornb " was loaded with volwnetrically mixed acid/'mononitrobenzene and initiated with a c ornrn e rcial No. 6 wax.-ecoat edelectzic bla sting cap. The bomb detonated high order" with an esti-ated strength equal to at least 500 /0 nitroglycerin dynamite.

As with other Sprengel explosives, "HeLlhoffit e ' is extremelyrosive and metal munitions components must be protected byor acid- resi sta.nt paint. The doubtful availability of mononitro-zene on the field relegate s thi s explosive to the alte rnate choic e

~SS. Field technique for the manufacture of this explosive issented in the Appe ndi.x,

29


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F)A@MS!::::."",.e."''' ' ' ' '; :::.''' ' ' ' ' 'i i -yyy"'''''''''''''" '''y'.'nnnnn_ __.._ .

CO~~CLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Prev-iously procedures were determined1,2 for field synthesisof three critical raw materials: potassiurn nitrate, sulfuric andnitric acids. Wi th these rna teria l s , a series of explosives, propellants,and n'lurii t.ion s capable of succe s s f'ul field irnpr ovi sation were evol ved ,

130tlndar-y pa ra.rnet er s such as safety, reliability and availabilityof ingreclients and equi prn ent rrius t be considered ill any improvisedm unit in v xpl o sive s s y s t 1 ~ Thus, I n r n a nv instances; tradeoffsare rnandat orv, For this reaS011 we have wherever possible) offeredalternate choi c es to rnen in the fi eId, Ou r data indicates with reaSOll-able certainty that ce rtain materials and procedures are superior too t h e r s " , On this basis, we r e c o r n r n e n d the f o l l o w i n g p r efe r e n tia l lists:

a.. Irn p r ovi sed Propellant:1~ Black Powder

b, Im.provi sed Prirna Ty Explosi v-es :1. Mercury Fulminatez. m1TD3.., 1~Double Salts4. Desel1sitized Sj lve r s-F'ral.rrri na t e

c. Improvi sed Bla sting Caps:1. Compound Caps (with high explosive base charge)2~ Straight Caps (no base charge)

d, Improvised Secondary I-ligh Explosives1. Methyl Nitrate2~ Nit roglycol3. Nit roglyc erin

30

-

.~',.;-i:(~.:f t:~.

? ~.. :::~:~ ' : ' : '. j J )


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5. Nitric ACid/Cellulose4. Nitric ACid/MonOnitrobe~.e~.ii!~t

. .::. ':::.-:,': ' ~ : . \ : :. r : : . : : ) : : . i ; } : / ~

Urea Nitrate

There is no totally safe way to hnb.r'ov~:[:8::a1l:::With crude rnaterials and eqWp.tnent. A l lf > ; l i _ " . . - . : . : . . . . .. . . . . ., : .Systems are inherently dangerous; all rnullt;.,~~.

. . .nd common sense. However. With safety .a 'oMI:::... . I i : & : J I I' V V e have attempted to minimize risks by evol:T:~""

',' :safe or that give fair \\paming of impending..~.~....~~.::::..!ri!i!i.w~~-lFtEiof nitric esters. for exall'lPle. iB prOPosed i n . . ~~""'I .. : t " ' A I ities tl,1at offer clearly readable danger Sign8j~'We have evolved m.ethods of tnanutact.u ~..." " f I o . . I I i . : : . , : : . ~ . j _..lllunitions for tnen who are aSBtUnedly in a h t , I i i Y ' : ' _ _ ""' '-;::::IiII-. _

dicarnent; men who are Without logistic BUPP9rt A......i I ,, : . :; . :. . . ~ .'e d by hostile forces. SUch circumstances p r e s e ".ealcula ted 1 "iks .:. ; : , , : , ; ; ; > . ; . ' 1

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Explosives Common Materials

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