Influence of an emulsifier on the pressure desensitization of emulsion explosives

The desensitization degree of emulsion explosives (EE) was calculated with the peak pressure of explosion shock waves tested in water. To an explosive, the less the desensitization degree, the better the compression resistance, so the compression resistance of an explosive can be compared and analyzed quantificationally with the desensitization degree. The influence of an emulsifier on the pressure desensitization of EE was studied, including the content and category of emulsifiers. Three kinds of emulsifiers (Span-80, compound emulsifier, and T-152) were used in the tests. The experimental results show that both the content and category of emulsifiers make a great effect on the pressure desensitization of EE. The desensitization degree of EE reduces with the emulsifier content being increased, but there is an optimal content of an emulsifier for the compression resistance of EE. While the content of Span-80 reaches 4wt%, the desensitization degree of EE becomes a minimal value, and augments somewhat if the emulsifier content is increased more. That is to say, the compression resistance of EE becomes the highest while the content of Span-80 is 4wt%, and the compression resistance will decline if the content of Span-80 is increased more. The compression resistance of the explosive emulsified by compound emulsifier is the highest among all the explosives, when the content of the whole components and manufacturing engineering are kept invariable.