Chemical kinetics of Estane aging in PBX

The Plastic-Bonded Explosive PBX 9501 is about 95% HMX, 2.5% Estane 5703, 2.5% nitroplasticizer (NP), and 0.1% stabilizer by weight. The NP, BDNPA/F, is a eutectic mixture of bis(2,2-dinitropropyl) acetal and bis(2,2-dinitropropyl)formal. The stabilizer is diphenylamine (DPA) or Irganox 1010. The Estane, a polyester-polyurethane, slowly degrades with time. Knowledge of the effect of the Estane aging on the mechanical properties of the PBX 9501 is required to predict with confidence the useful lifetime of the explosive with respect to safety and reliability. A detailed master equation model of the chemical mechanisms and kinetics of the aging of Estane 5703 in PBX 9501 is being developed. Its output will be used as input into other models being developed to calculate the changes in the mechanical properties of the PBX