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 At first, picric acid was used as a booster to detonate TNT, though it was superseded due to the inherent danger of picrate formation.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 However, since then, tetryl has largely been replaced by other compositions, e.g. a small cylinder or pellet of phlegmatized RDX (e.g. CH-6 or Composition A-5) or PETN (slightly larger than the actual detonator) into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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Concepts associés (12)

Tétryl

Le 2,4,6-trinitrophénylméthylnitramine ou N-méthyl-N,2,4,6-tétranitroaniline, de formule brute C7H5N5O8, communément appelé tétryl est un explosif puissant, mais sensible, toxique et instable dans le temps. Il a été utilisé dans la fabrication de détonateurs, comme explosif d'amorçage secondaire (petite charge placée à côté du détonateur dans le but de propager la détonation dans la charge explosive principale) et pour la production de charges d'explosif (dont pour des grenades sous-marine et « bombes rebondissantes »).

Mèche (pyrotechnie)

Dans le domaine de la pyrotechnie, une mèche est un accessoire permettant la mise à feu à distance d'engins ou de substances explosives. On l'utilise notamment pour mettre à feu des feux d'artifice, des armes à feu, des mines... Appelée plus communément , elle permet à l'artificier de ne pas allumer directement l'explosif et lui donne un délai pour se mettre à l'abri, en fonction de la longueur de la mèche et de sa rapidité de combustion.

Explosive booster