IMEMTS 2006, Microstructure of RDX, M. Herrmann 1 Microstructure of RDX investigated by means of Powder X-ray Diffraction

Incorporation of improved particle qualities proved to reduce the sensitivity of plastic bonded explosives. Investigations were started using Powder X-ray Diffraction for characterizing the microstructure of the energetic nitramine RDX, including reduced sensitivity and conventional samples, and fine and coarse grades. Problems arisen from poor orientation statistics of coarse powders have been solved using advanced measuring techniques. The investigations revealed that sensitivity of RDX correlates with crystallite size, where insensitive particles consist of larger and fewer crystallites than the conventional product