RS-RDX Reduced Sensitivity RDX
In the late 1990s SNPE (SME now Eurenco) marketed an "insensitive" form of RDX (IRDX®) produced by the Woolwich synthesis. It employed proprietary recrystallization process. This produced RDX that displayed reduced sensitivity to shock initiation as measured by Large Scale Gap Test. In 2001 Army pursued an FCT program to evaluate IRDX® in 155 mm projectile with the goal to determine whether IRDX® would improve the IM characteristics of the projectile and to determine whether the SNPE crystallization process could be implemented at Holston (Bachmann synthesis) to produce reduced sensitivity RDX. SNPE recrystallized HSAAP RDX into IRDX®. The US Army, Navy and AF evaluated 2 formulations using both IRDX® and HSAAP IRDX®: Wax-based melt castable explosive (Air Force); and Cast curable PBX explosive (Navy). They conducted performance and IM testing. Upon aging, the HSAAP RDX recrystallized by SNPE did not retain the original "insensitive" characteristics.
Subsequently, other manufacturers claimed to produce forms of RDX that exhibit reduced sensitivity to shock relative to conventional RDX as produced by the Bachman process. In 2003, Army published a sources sought solicitation. The following manufacturers are now claiming to make Reduced Sensitivity RDX (RS-RDX): EUROENCO (aka SNPE): IRDX®; Australian Defence Industries (ADI): Grade A RDX; Royal Ordnance Defence (RO): Type I RDX; and Dyno Nobel: RS-RDX. Of these, only Dyno employs the Bachman process.
What makes RDX insensitive? No definitive explanation has been offered for the insensitivity of the RDX from these manufacturers. Crystal quality of some sort appears to be involved. No parameter that can be measured on the crystalline material has been identified that would enable one to distinguish between relatively more sensitive and relatively less sensitive forms.
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