Desensitisation of energetic materials

Abstract

An energetic material comprises an energetic crystalline material substantially coated in an energetic plasticiser material. Advantageously the energetic material comprises from 90 to 99% by weight of an energetic crystalline material and from 1 to 10% by weight of an energetic plasticiser material comprising a plasticiser selected from the group comprising Butane Triol trinitrate (BTTN), Trimethylanol ethane trinitrate (TMETN), Diazidonitrazapentane (DANPE), Glycidyl Azide Polymer (Azide Derivative) (GAP Azide), Bis(2,2-dinitropropyl)acetal/bis(2,2-dinitropropyl)formal (BDNPA/F) or mixtures of two or more of these plasticisers. The inventors have found that the combination of just a small quantity of energetic plasticiser material to the energetic crystalline material prior to incorporation into the bulk plasticiser, binder and filler mixture of an explosive or propellant composition has unexpected and advantageous effects.

1 - 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A method for manufacturing an intermediate material for a propellant composition comprising the steps of:
 wet mixing from 1% to 10% by weight of an energetic plasticizer material with from 99% to 90% by weight of energetic crystalline material, said energetic crystalline material comprises particles and said wet mixing step coats each particle with only said energetic plasticizer material; and   drying the wet mixed material to form a powder.   
     
     
         12 . A method of manufacturing an intermediate material as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the amount of energetic plasticiser material is between 1 and 5 weight percent. 
     
     
         13 . A method of manufacturing an intermediate material as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the amount of energetic plasticiser is between 3 and 5 weight percent. 
     
     
         14 . A method of manufacturing an intermediate material as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the energetic plasticiser material is selected from a group comprising Butane Triol trinitrate (BTTN), Trimethylanol ethane trinitrate (TMETN), Diazidonitrazapentane (DANPE), Glycidyl Azide Polymer (Azide Derivative) (GAP Azide), Bis(2,2-dinitropropyl)acetal/bis(2,2-dinitropropyl(formal (BDNPA/F), and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         15 . A method of manufacturing an intermediate material as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the energetic crystalline material is hexanitrohexaazaisowurtizane. 
     
     
         16 . A method of manufacturing a propellant composition made from intermediate material as claimed in  claim 11 . 
     
     
         17 . A method of manufacturing a propellant composition as claimed in  claim 16 , including the additional step of adding a binder to the intermediate material. 
     
     
         18 . A method of manufacturing a propellant composition as claimed in  claim 17  wherein the proportion of intermediate material is from 10% to 100% and the binder is from 90% to 0%. 
     
     
         19 . A method of manufacturing a propellant composition as claimed in  claim 17  wherein the binder is an energetic binder. 
     
     
         20 . A method of manufacturing a propellant composition as claimed in  claim 19  wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of poly (3-nitratomethyl-3-methyloxetane) (PolyNIMMO), polyglycidyl nitrate (PolyGLYN), and glycidyl azide polymer (GAP).