Heat of Explosion and Acceleration Ability of Explosive Compositions Containing Polytetrafluoroethylene

It is known that, under strong shock wave loading or at high temperatures, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) decomposes and forms chemically active products that are capable of interaction with metals. In this work, data on the heat of explosion of mixtures containing HMX, PTFE, and Al are given. From the results, it follows that aluminized explosive compositions are characterized by high values of the heat of explosion. The high temperatures that develop at the formation of aluminum oxide promote PTFE decomposition. However, the heat of an explosion decreases as PTFE concentration increases. This is because PTFE has a strongly negative heat of formation. The evaluation of the acceleration ability shows that PTFE can be used in explosive formulations, intended for the accelerating action, on condition that the composition contains a high explosive with a positive oxygen balance.