James Ikanov
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Flare Paste/Gelled Flashpowder
Over the course of a bit of, frankly, screwing around, I think I've found something rather interesting. I was initially attempting to make a sprengel
explosive out of stoichiometric mixture of glycerin and KClO4, but my results did not yield anything explosive. I actually found my mixture to be less
than flammable. So I decided to mix in flashpowder (also stoichiometric), and simply use my paste as a binder.
I did a flame test in the open, unconfined, and I found that it burns exactly like flashpowder... just much, much slower. Even slower than many
thermites I've tried. The mixture burns visibly purple, and quite bright.
A few minutes ago, I performed my first test with gentle confinement (a cardboard tube with an open top) and it burns with quite a lot of smoke and
bright flame. It very much requires a tinted lense to avoid blindness, and when partially confined it is prone to popping and gently tossing globs of
molten aluminum a few inches or millimeters into the air.
I prepared it by mixing 11 parts glycerin (by weight) to 26 parts KClO4. After these were fully mixed, I added 20 grams of stoichiometric flashpowder
(7 parts KClO4 to 3 parts german dark aluminum)
My best theory at this point is that by filling the void spaces that would otherwise be present, the flashpowder does not deflagrate at the rate it
otherwise would, and still manages to generate enough energy and xygen to fully burn the glycerin.
The only discouraging aspect to this is that I have been unable to ignite it with anything less than a blowtorch. I have yet to test it confined with
fuse, however.
Overall, it seems more a novelty than anything practical, but I wonder if anyone has experimented with anything similar?
“To do good work one must eat well, be well housed, have one's fling from time to time, smoke one's pipe, and drink one's coffee in peace” -
Vincent Van Gogh
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Detonationology
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Why add glycerin? It's well accepted that unconfined flash powder detonates at a higher velocity than when confined. In low concentrations, most
oxidizers are useless when combined with liquid fuels. The oxidizer is typically not fully in homogenized throughout the fuel, which prevents
efficient combustion. The oxidizer must make up the majority of the composition for their to be any chance of it working, with only a small amount to
liquid fuel. ANFO is a low velocity mixture, composed of about 95% AN: 5% petrol. The explosive nature of the mixture mostly relies on the fact that
the AN is extremely sensitive when impurities are present, and not so much on the liquid fuel.
“There are no differences but differences of degree between different degrees of difference and no difference.” ― William James
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James Ikanov
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This is true. I considered that the initial go round at attempting to make a sprengel was hindered by the fact that my perchlorate was clumped in some
areas, so I added slightly more glycerin to attempt to dissolve the perchlorate more evenly in it. No dice.
Aside from that, the goal was to get something that was easily manipulated and moldable. It partially succeeded; the mixture is colloidal and fairly
sticky. In fact, it can be applied to many surfaces much like paint, but such a thin coating does not reliably propagate combustion in the ratios I
used. It does however, pour somewhat neatly into casings.
I was unaware that unconfined flashpowder detonated at a higher velocity than confined, but I suppose that makes sense if the gases it generates are
superheated atmospheric gasses?
I was always under the impression that AN was actually rather stable, but regardless, I was simply curious to see if anyone else had used a similar
mixture. I am by no means an expert, I simply found this amusing and worth sharing.
EDIT: Oh, and a word of warning if someone else attempts this. It is very much thick and gooey enough to break a glass stir rod. Learned that the hard
way.
[Edited on 17-2-2016 by James Ikanov]
“To do good work one must eat well, be well housed, have one's fling from time to time, smoke one's pipe, and drink one's coffee in peace” -
Vincent Van Gogh
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Bert
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Thread Moved
17-2-2016 at 05:31 |
PHILOU Zrealone
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This was posted by Nitro-genes into the Energetic material section...
Pyrotechnic burster composition US 6521064 B1
It exposes the use of flash powder with pentaerythritol or terephtalic acid as safe and powerful mixes exploding with violence when confined.
Freepatents online USP 6521064
download the pdf
Since glycerol is related to PE the explanation for the unsensitivity of your mix may be identical...low boiling/vaporisation temperature...tempering
the exotherm, but once a limit is surpassed due to confinement, then full power express...
PH Z (PHILOU Zrealone)
"Physic is all what never works; Chemistry is all what stinks and explodes!"-"Life that deadly disease, sexually transmitted."(W.Allen)
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feacetech
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Have your tried igniting it with a little KMnO4
or KMnO4 and glycerine
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James Ikanov
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Nope. I don't have any KMnO4 sitting around, just some dirty MnO2. I might see if I can get some potassium hydroxide and make some to test that,
however. I usually get a small sample and test one on concrete, and one on an elevated steel platform with a blowtorch, but I don't think it would be
quite as hot as that particular mixture.
Also, thank you for the patent, PHILOU Zrealone. It was highly informative, and another batch I ended up testing (a 1:1:1 mixture by weight) displayed
very similar properties! placing some of it on paper and then rolling it around it provided enough confinement to get little pockets of deflagration
very readily, although not as easy to light as "dry" flashpowder. Downside being it was also very inconsistent in how well it deflagrated under such
light confinement.
“To do good work one must eat well, be well housed, have one's fling from time to time, smoke one's pipe, and drink one's coffee in peace” -
Vincent Van Gogh
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