Concept

Torpex

Torpex ("Torpedo explosive") is a secondary explosive, 50% more powerful than TNT by mass. Torpex comprises 42% RDX, 40% TNT and 18% powdered aluminium. It was used in the Second World War from late 1942, at which time some used the names Torpex and RDX interchangeably, much to the confusion of today's historical researchers. Torpex proved to be particularly useful in underwater munitions because the aluminium component had the effect of making the explosive pulse last longer, which increased the destructive power. Besides torpedoes, naval mines, and depth charges, Torpex was only used in the Upkeep, Tallboy and Grand Slam bombs as well as the drones employed in Operation Aphrodite. Torpex has long been superseded by H6 and Polymer-bonded explosive (PBX) compositions. It is therefore regarded as obsolete and Torpex is unlikely to be encountered except in old munitions or unexploded ordnance, although a notable exception to this is the Sting Ray lightweight torpedo, which as of October 2020 remains in service with the Royal Navy and several foreign militaries. The German equivalent of Torpex was Trialen. Torpex was developed at the Royal Gunpowder Factory, Waltham Abbey, in the United Kingdom as a more powerful military alternative to TNT. RDX was developed in 1899. Though very stable and serving as the reference point by which the sensitivity of other explosives are judged, it was too expensive for most military applications and reserved for use in the most important products, such as torpedoes. Aluminium powder was also added to the mix to further enhance the effect. Although both RDX and TNT have a negative oxygen balance, the superheated aluminium component tends to contribute primarily by extending the expansion time of the explosive product gases. Beeswax was also added as a phlegmatizing agent, to reduce sensitivity to shock and impact. Later, beeswax was replaced with paraffin wax, and calcium chloride was added as a moisture absorber to reduce the production of hydrogen gas under high humidity.

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Publications associées (6)

Plasma turbulence, suprathermal ion dynamics and code validation on the basic plasma physics device TORPEX

Ambrogio Fasoli, Ivo Furno, Paolo Ricci, Benoît Labit, Christian Gabriel Theiler, Joaquim Loizu Cisquella, Mario Ludovico Podesta, Fabio Avino, Francesca Maria Poli, Gennady Plyushchev, Kyle Gustafson, Alexandre Dominique Bovet, Davoud Iraji

The TORPEX basic plasma physics device at the Center for Plasma Physics Research (CRPP) in Lausanne, Switzerland is described. In TORPEX, simple magnetized toroidal configurations, a paradigm for the tokamak scrape-off layer (SOL), as well as more complex ...
Cambridge University Press2015

Three-dimensional measurements of non-diffusive fast ion transport in TORPEX

Ambrogio Fasoli, Ivo Furno, Paolo Ricci, Kyle Gustafson, Alexandre Dominique Bovet

In the basic plasma physics device TORPEX, progress in the fundamental understanding of supra-thermal ion transport is achieved by extensive sets of three-dimensional (3D) data, together with numerical simulations of supra-thermal ion tracers in fluid turb ...
2013

Three-dimensional measurements of non-diffusive fast ion transport in TORPEX

Ambrogio Fasoli, Ivo Furno, Paolo Ricci, Kyle Gustafson, Alexandre Dominique Bovet

In the basic plasma physics device TORPEX, progress in the fundamental understanding of supra-thermal ion transport is achieved by extensive sets of three-dimensional (3D) data, together with numerical simulations of supra-thermal ion tracers in fluid turb ...
Iop Publishing Ltd2013
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Concepts associés (13)
Amatol
L'amatol est un explosif militaire qui était composé d'un mélange de TNT et de nitrate d'ammonium. Mis au point par les forces armées allemandes, le mot « amatol » a été forgé par des Britanniques qui croyaient qu'il était fait d'ammonium et de toluène (un matériau servant à fabriquer le TNT). L'amatol a été utilisé principalement durant les Première et Seconde Guerres mondiales par les différentes armées en conflit. L'amatol est constitué de trinitrotoluène (TNT) et de nitrate d'ammonium (NO3− NH4+) dans des proportions stœchiométriques.
Minol (explosive)
Minol (pronounced mine-ol) is a military explosive developed by the Admiralty early in the Second World War to augment supplies of trinitrotoluene (TNT) and RDX, which were in short supply. The aluminium component in Minol significantly prolongs the explosive pulse, making it ideal for use in underwater naval weapons (e.g. naval mines, for which it was developed, depth charges and torpedoes) where munitions with a longer explosive pulse are more destructive than those with high brisance.
Bombe rebondissante
Une bombe rebondissante est une variété de grenade sous-marine qui fut utilisée durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Son invention est attribuée à Barnes Wallis employé de Vickers-Armstrongs, une entreprise basée dans le Surrey. Le modèle le plus connu est celui employé durant l'opération Chastise, un raid mené par les Dambusters (« briseurs de barrages ») qui s'attaquèrent aux retenues artificielles de la vallée de la Ruhr.
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