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RDX - THE KILLER BEHIND
Aug 27, 2005 03:43 PM 9234 Views
(Updated Aug 27, 2005 03:43 PM)

Explosive Basics -


The fundamental concept behind explosives is very simple. At the most basic level, an explosive is just something that burns or decomposes very quickly, producing a lot of heat and gas in a short amount of time. A typical explosive consists of some explosive material, some sort of detonation device and, typically, some sort of housing. The explosive material undergoes a rapid chemical reaction, either a combustion or decomposition reaction, when triggered by heat or shock energy from the detonator. In the chemical reaction, compounds break down to form various gases. The reactants (the original chemical compounds) have a lot of energy stored up as chemical bonds between different atoms. When the compound molecules break apart, the products (the resulting gases) may use some of this energy to form new bonds, but not all of it. Most of the ''''leftover'''' energy takes the form of extreme heat. The concentrated gases are under very high pressure, so they expand rapidly.


The heat speeds up the individual gas particles, boosting the pressure even higher. In a high explosive, the gas pressure is strong enough to destroy structures and injure and kill people. If the gas expands faster than the speed of sound, it generates a powerful shock wave. The pressure can also push pieces of solid material outward at great speed, causing them to hit people or structures with a lot of force. C-4 is a high explosive designed for military use. In the next section, we'll find out what sets it apart from other explosives. What is C-4? C-4, or composition 4, is one variety of plastic explosive. The basic idea of plastic explosives, also called plastic bonded explosives (PBX), is to combine explosive chemicals with a plastic binder material. The binder has two important jobs: It coats the explosive material, so it's less sensitive to shock and heat. This makes it relatively safe to handle the explosive. It makes the explosive material highly malleable.


You can mold it into different shapes to change the direction of the explosion. Photo courtesy U.S. Department of Defense Soldiers set off two C-4 charges on an air base runway during a training operation. Like other high explosives, C-4''s destructive power comes from rapidly expanding hot gas. The explosive material in C-4 is cyclotrimethylene-trinitramine (C3H6N6O6), commonly called RDX (for ''''research development explosive''''). The additive material is made up of polyisobutylene, the binder, and Di (2-ethylhexyl) sebacate, the plasticizer (the element that makes the material malleable). It also contains a small amount of motor oil and some 2, 3-dimethyl-2, 3-dinitrobutane (DMDNB), which functions as a chemical marker for security forces. To make C-4 blocks, explosives manufacturers take RDX in powder form and mix it with water to form slurry. They then add the binder material, dissolved in a solvent, and mix the materials with an agitator. They remove the solvent through distillation, and remove the water through drying and filtering.


The result is a relatively stable, solid explosive with a consistency similar to modeling clay. C-4 Ingredients: RDX - 91 percent Di (2-ethylhexyl) sebacate - 5.3 percent Polyisobutylene - 2.1 percent Motor oil - 1.6 percent Just as with other explosives, you need to apply some energy to C-4 to kick off the chemical reaction. Because of the stabilizer elements, it takes a considerable shock to set off this reaction; lighting the C-4 with a match will just make it burn slowly, like a piece of wood (in Vietnam, soldiers actually burned C-4 as an improvised cooking fire). Even shooting the explosive with a rifle won't trigger the reaction. Only a detonator, or blasting cap will do the job properly. A detonator is just a smaller explosive that's relatively easy to set off. An electrical detonator, for example, uses a brief charge to set off a small amount of explosive material. When somebody triggers the detonator (by transmitting the charge through detonator cord to a blasting cap, for example), the explosion applies a powerful shock that triggers the C-4 explosive material.


When the chemical reaction begins, the C-4 decomposes to release a variety of gases (notably, nitrogen and carbon oxides). The gases initially expand at about 26,400 feet per second (8,050 meters per second), applying a huge amount of force to everything in the surrounding area. At this expansion rate, it is totally impossible to outrun the explosion like they do in dozens of action movies. To the observer, the explosion is nearly instantaneous -- one second, everything''s normal, and the next it''s totally destroyed. The explosion actually has two phases. The initial expansion inflicts most of the damage. It also creates a very low-pressure area around the explosion's origin -- the gases are moving outward so rapidly that they suck most of the gas out from the ''''middle'''' of the explosion. After the outward blast, gases rush back in to the partial vacuum, creating a second, less-destructive inward energy wave. M118 PETN Block Demolition Charge CHARACTERISTICS: The M118 block demolition charge, or sheet explosive, is a block of four .50-pound sheets of flexible explosive packed in a plastic envelope. Twenty M118 charges and a package of 80 M8 blasting cap holders are packed in a wooden box. Each sheet of the explosive has a pressure-sensitive adhesive tape attached to one surface. Relative effectiveness factor is 1.14 USE: M118 block demolition charge is designed as a cutting charge especially to be used against steel targets. The sheets of explosive can be quickly applied to irregular and curved surfaces and easily cut to any desired dimensions.


The M118 demolition charge may be used for small breaching charges but should not be used as a bulk explosive charge because of its high cost. ADVANTAGES: The flexibility and adhesive backing of the sheets allow them to be applied to a large variety of targets. The .50-pound sheets can be cut to the desired dimensions and applied in layers to achieve the desired thickness. They are not affected by water and may be used in underwater demolitions. LIMITATIONS: Adhesive tape will not adhere to wet, dirty, rusty, or frozen surfaces. These sheet explosives are to be cut with a sharp steel knife on a non-sparking surface. Do not use shears. PETN explosives are poisonous and dangerous if chewed or ingested; their detonation or burning produces poisonous fumes.


BY: NILABJA SARKAR


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