Study on the rheological properties of CL-20/HTPB casting explosives

The rheological properties of ε-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20)/hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) casting explosives with different formulations were tested and analyzed. The effects of both the weight percentage (wt.%) of CL-20 and its particle size, as well as the type and content of plasticizers, on the rheological properties of CL-20/HTPB casting explosives were investigated in detail. The results show that the viscosity and pseudoplasticity of CL-20/HTPB casting explosives increase with increasing wt.% of CL-20 and decreasing particle size. The gradation of CL-20 particle size also affects the rheological properties of the casting explosives. When the mixing ratio of 30 μm to 2 μm particles is 3:1, the viscosity reaches its lowest value and the non-Newtonian index reaches the maximum value of 0.5698. The viscosity, non-Newtonian index and impact sensitivity of the samples studied are clearly decreased by the addition of dioctyl adipate (DOA), dioctyl sebacate (DOS) or dibutyl phthalate (DBP). However, the three plasticizers do not appear to affect the thermal decomposition of CL-20/HTPB casting explosives. With respect to the rheological properties, mechanical properties and sensitivity, DOA is the optimum plasticizer to use in CL-20/HTPB casting explosives.