The behavior of antioxidant irganox 1010 during the thermal degradation of a plastic bonded explosive
Abstract
The effect of water concentration on the aging behavior of blend components in plastic bonded explosive (PBX) 9501 is investigated when samples were aged up to 24 months under various conditions. The blend components studied here are: poly(urethane ester) (Estane?5703) (Estane), nitroplasticizer (NP), and antioxidant Irganox 1010 (Irg1010). The experimental results reveal that NP is prone to thermally degrading and producing H2O, NOx, and HNOx species, which are the predominant species to consume Irg1010 during PBX 9501 aging under inert environment. As Irg1010 is completely consumed, Estane degrades through oxidation and NP addition, in addition to well anticipated hydrolysis. The competition among hydrolysis, oxidation, and NP addition results in non-monotonical changes in the molecular weight of Estane over the aging process.