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Science and Technology of Energetic Materials

Vol.71, No.2 (2010)

Research paper

Comparison of nitrocellulose stabilizing capability of lithium carbonate and conventional stabilizers
Katsumi Katoh, Shunsuke Ito, YusukeWada, Koki Ishikawa, Jun-ichi Kasamatsu, Hiroshi Miya, Masaaki Yamamoto, Yuji Wada, and Mitsuru Arai
p.25-30

Abstract

At present, substances such as diphenylamine (DPA) and akardite II (AKII) are used in industrial applications to stabilize nitrocellulose (NC). Previous studies have shown that some inorganic salts with alkaline properties in aqueous solutions could also stabilize NC. In this study, we investigated the NC-stabilizing ability of Li2CO3 on the basis of thermal stability, NOx release, and impact sensitivity. In addition, a closed-vessel test was conducted to study the pressure release behavior during combustion. The results were compared with those for pure NC, NC/DPA, and NC/AKII. Thermal stability was measured in a heat-flux calorimeter at 120℃ฺ in an oxygen atmosphere. The induction period for heat release was longer for NC/Li2CO3 than for pure NC. The induction periods for NC/Li2CO3, NC/DPA, and NC/AKII were comparable, although there was some variability depending on the type of NC. Release of NOx from NC/Li2CO3 was less than that from either pure NC or NC/AKII, but nearly equal to that from NC/DPA. Drop-hammer tests showed that NC /Li2CO3 had almost equal or lower impact sensitivity than pure NC and NC/AKII. These results suggest that the stabilization effect of Li2CO3 is comparable to those of conventional stabilizers. In the closed-vessel test, the maximum increase in pressure (Pmax) and maximum rate of pressure increase (dP/dt max) for NC/Li2CO3 were slightly lower than those for pure NC, but greater than those for NC/AKII. This shows that Li2CO3 degrades the combustion characteristics of NC to a smaller degree than AKII does.

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Keywords

Self-ignition, stabilizer, thermal stability, impact sensitivity, combustion characteristics.

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