Manganese as fuel in slow-burning pyrotechnic time delay compositions

Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Authors

Swanepoel, Darren
Del Fabbro, Olinto
Focke, Walter Wilhelm
Conradie, Corrie

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Wiley

Abstract

Manganese metal was evaluated as a fuel for slow-burning delay compositions press-filled in aluminium or compaction-rolled in lead tubes. Oxides of antimony, bismuth, copper, manganese and vanadium were considered as oxidants. Measured burn rates for binary mixtures varied between 5 and 22 mm s 1 but slower burning ternary and quaternary compositions were also found. The addition of fumed silica to the Mn/MnO2 system had little effect on the propagation rate but a low level addition of hollow glass sphere significantly reduced the burn rate. Mn MnO2 mixtures showed reliable burning over a wide stoichiometric range. In this system the fuel and the oxidant share a common metal. They combine to form the more stable intermediate oxide (MnO) releasing considerable quantities of heat in the process.

Description

Keywords

Antimony oxide, Fumed silica, Manganese, Pyrotechnics, Time delay

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Swanepoel, D, Del Fabbro, O, Focke, WW & Conradie, C 2010, 'Manganese as fuel in slow-burning pyrotechnic time delay compositions', Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 105-113. [http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1521-4087/issues]