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IMX-101

Explosive mixture

IMX-101
Summary

Explosive mixture

IMX-101 is a high-performance insensitive high explosive composite mixture developed by BAE Systems and the United States Army to replace TNT in artillery shells. IMX stands for "Insensitive Munitions eXplosives", which refers to the purpose of IMX-101: to provide explosive force equivalent to TNT without its sensitivity to shocks such as gunfire, explosions from improvised explosive devices, fire, and shrapnel. For example, the United States Army believes that a training incident in Nevada which killed seven Marines would not have occurred with the new explosive. On March 23, 2013, the United States Army ordered $780 million worth of the explosive, with a production of millions of pounds annually, to be produced by BAE at Holston Army Ammunition Plant in Tennessee. The new explosive will cost $8 per pound, compared to $6 per pound for TNT. As of 2023, IMX-101 filled shells are being used in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

IMX-101 pellets

Time Magazine called IMX-101 one of the "50 best inventions of 2010".

Composition

IMX-101 is composed of 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN), nitrotriazolone (NTO), and nitroguanidine (NQ).{{cite journal |title= Estimations of Vapor Pressures by Thermogravimetric Analysis of the Insensitive Munitions IMX-101, IMX-104, and Individual Components

FormulationKey IngredientsReplacesPurposeQualification Status (2012)
IMX-101DNAN + NTO + NQTNTArtillery and other large caliber munitionsMaterial qualified; Type qualified for 155mm M795, on-going for 155mm M1122 and 105mm projectiles
IMX-104DNAN + NTO + RDXComp BMortar applicationsMaterial qualified; Type qualification on-going for 81mm mortar, 60mm & 120mm to follow
PAX-48DNAN + NTO + HMXComp BMortar and tank ammunitionMaterial qualified; Type qualification achieved for 120mm IM HE-T tracer round (NAMMO)
OSX-12DNAN + NTO + RDX + AlPAX-28High blast applicationsMaterial under evaluation
PAX-21 Picatinny arsenal explosiveDNAN + RDX + AP + MNA (N-methyl-p-nitroaniline)Main fill for the 60mm M768 Mortar RoundsCurrently in-use in theater
PAX-41DNAN + RDX + MNAMain fill for the Spider Grenade, thus a low critical diameter is required.

The performance of PAX-28, a thermobaric, containing a mixture of RDX, DNAN, Al, AP and MNA was found to have an indoor explosive equivalency factor of 1.62 when compared to Composition B. OSX-12 is being studied as a replacement to PAX-28.

Processing

Like Composition B, IMX formulations are melt-castable without thermal degradation, and are thus processed into munitions by a melt pour process starting with a batch melt kettle heated by a steam heat exchanger.

References

References

  1. "BAE IMX-101 Explosive Approved To Replace TNT In US Army Artillery".
  2. [http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2007im_em/BBriefs/7Wilson.pdf DTIC Background and Introduction to IMX-101, -102 and -103] {{webarchive. link. (2010-08-15)
  3. [http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2007im_em/BBriefs/7Singh.pdf The Application of New IM Explosive Candidates - DTIC Online] {{webarchive. link. (2012-10-03)
  4. "Army Approves Safer Explosive To Replace TNT".
  5. Allison Barrie. (2013-03-26). "Bye bye, TNT: New generation of explosives for the Army". Fox News.
  6. Mark Thompson. (2010-11-13). "Less Dangerous Explosives". Time Magazine.
  7. (2023-02-02). "How to Forge Shells for Ukraine's Artillery". The New York Times.
  8. (August 2019). "E.-C. Koch, Insensitive High Explosives: IV. Nitroguanidine - Initiation & Detonation, ''Defence Technol.'' '''2019''', ''15'', 467-487". Defence Technology.
  9. (2013). "Photochemical transformation of the insensitive munitions compound 2,4-dinitroanisole". Science of the Total Environment.
  10. "Insensitive High Explosives (IHE)".
  11. (March 12, 2019). "The Latest from Defense Systems Information Analysis Center". Defense System Digest.
  12. "DEVELOPMENT & OPTIMIZATION OF A PRODUCTION METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING PAX-41".
  13. "IMX-104 High Explosive (HE) Loading of 81mm & 120mm Mortars".
  14. (2023-02-02). "How to Forge Shells for Ukraine's Artillery". The New York Times.
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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