WATER GEL EXPLOSIVES

'Water-gel explosives' such as Tovex are explosive mixtures (slurries) consisting of saturated aqueous solutions of oxidizers and/or fuels.^[1] They tend to be less toxic and are less hazardous than dynamite to manufacture, transport, and store.^[2] All sluries contain a gelatinizing agent and their consistency varies from easily pourable to hard solid. Polyvinyl alcohol, guar gum, dextran gums,
urea-formaldehyde resins are the typical gelling agents.
Slurries are also less expensive compared to conventional explosives. They are frequently used as cartridge explosives because they are much easier to load into large casings. With water gel explosives, filling a bomb is merely a matter of pouring the material into the casing. Traditionaly explosives are ordinarily casted into the casing. This process is laborious and the charge may begin to shrink creating multiple voids. A final advantage of slurry is that it can be stored in non-explosive component form and sensitized into field-manufactured explosive as it is needed. The explosive may be senzitized by the addition of gas, metal powder, or another explosive such as TNT, RDX, HMX, PETN, etc... The water in water-gel explosives is converted into a reactant by the addition of large amount of aluminum. Water-gel explosives represent the majority of the blasting agents used in the commercial market and have almost completely displaced dynamite.^[3]

Contents

References

References

1. Guide for the Selection of Commercial Explosives Detection
2. Explomo Tovex Brochure
3. Alt.Engineering.Explosives