Explosive booster

An explosive booster is a sensitive explosive charge that acts as a bridge between a (relatively weak) conventional detonator and a low-sensitivity (but typically high-energy) explosive such as TNT. By itself, the initiating detonator would not deliver sufficient energy to set off the low-sensitivity charge. However, it detonates the primary charge (the booster), which then delivers an explosive shockwave that is sufficient to detonate the secondary, main, high-energy charge. Unlike C4 plastic explosive, not all explosives can be detonated simply by inserting a detonator and firing it. An initiator such as a shock tube, cannon fuse, or even a conventional detonator does not deliver sufficient shock to detonate charges comprising TNT, Composition B, ANFO and many other high explosives. Therefore, some form of "booster" is required to amplify the energy released by the detonator so that the main charge will detonate. At first, picric acid was used as a booster to detonate TNT, though it was superseded due to the inherent danger of picrate formation. Tetryl replaced picric acid because it is more stable, and was once a very popular chemical for booster charges, particularly during World War II. However, since then, tetryl has largely been replaced by other compositions, e.g. a small cylinder or pellet of phlegmatized RDX (e.g. CH-6 or Composition A-5) or PETN (slightly larger than the actual detonator) into which the detonator itself is inserted. Note: booby traps and improvised explosive devices frequently use plastic explosive as the booster charge, for example, some C4 or Semtex stuffed into the empty fuze pocket of a 120mm mortar shell. This is because any standard detonator will initiate plastic explosive as is. When encountered in connection with artillery shells or air dropped bombs, a booster charge is sometimes referred to as the "gaine", from gaine-relais. See detonators. At a purely technical level, a sufficiently large detonator would initiate high explosives without the need for a booster charge.

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Related concepts (12)

Tetryl

2,4,6-Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine or tetryl (C7H5N5O8) is an explosive compound used to make detonators and explosive booster charges. Tetryl is a nitramine booster explosive, though its use has been largely superseded by RDX. Tetryl is a sensitive secondary high explosive used as a booster, a small charge placed next to the detonator in order to propagate detonation into the main explosive charge. Tetryl is a yellow crystalline solid powder material, practically insoluble in water but soluble in acetone, benzene and other solvents.

Fuze

In military munitions, a fuze (sometimes fuse) is the part of the device that initiates function. In some applications, such as torpedoes, a fuze may be identified by function as the exploder. The relative complexity of even the earliest fuze designs can be seen in cutaway diagrams. A fuze is a device that detonates a munition's explosive material under specified conditions. In addition, a fuze will have safety and arming mechanisms that protect users from premature or accidental detonation.

Explosive booster