Insensitive Explosives I.

– Targeting the Replacement of TNT and Composite B

Abstract

As technology has advanced, new materials and new tools have appeared in the industry and military applications. These new products have been developed mostly in the interests of cost-effectiveness, safe handling and reducing environmental impact. Explosives production has also undergone major changes, as reflected in the creation of new explosives based on the experience gained since the end of the 19th century. The new insensitive explosives are capable of triggering the main charges in explosive bodies which, in the case of military applications, are present in
small but large quantities at the same time. Insensitive explosives and explosive bodies offer the possibility of achieving the most economical and efficient use of explosives, while guaranteeing the highest possible level of safety, whatever the conditions of use. My aim is to present some of the insensitive explosives that are less well known on the market, to describe the official tests that have been carried out on them and to give some examples of devices where their use has been or is being carried out.