Propellants Explosives Pyrotechnics, Vol.42, No.8, 883-888, 2017
Thermal and Sensitivity Study of Dihydroxyl Ammonium 5,5 '-Bistetrazole-1,1 '-diolate (TKX-50)-based Melt Cast Explosive Formulations
Dihydroxyl ammonium 5,5'-bistetrazole-1,1'-diolate (TKX-50) is a promising energetic material with predicted performance similar to RDX as well as to CL-20. In the present study, TKX-50 was evaluated as a possible replacement for RDX in TNT-based, aluminized as well as nonaluminized melt cast formulations. Thermal analysis reveals the compatibility of TKX-50 with benchmark explosives like RDX and TNT in explosive formulations. This paper de-scribes the thermal and sensitivity study of TKX-50 with RDX and TNT-based melt cast explosives. The result indicated that TKX-50 can be effectively used as a RDX replacement in melt cast explosive formulations. TKX-50/TNTbased aluminized composition shows more thermal stability than RDX/TNT based composition, which clearly indicated the usefulness of TKX-50 in melt cast explosive formulations.