Smokeless Propellant Components
The propellant formulations may contain various energetic and auxiliary components:
- Propellants:
- Nitrocellulose, an energetic component of most smokeless propellants
- Nitroglycerin, an energetic component of double-base and triple-base formulations
- Nitroguanidine, a component of triple-base formulations
- D1NA (bis-nitroxyethylnitramine)
- Fivonite (tetramethylolcyclopentanone)
- DGN (di-ethylene glycol dinitrate)
- Acetyl cellulose
- Deterrents, (or moderants), to slow the burning rate
- Centralites (symmetrical diphenyl urea—primarily diethyl or dimethyl)
- Dibutyl phthalate
- Dinitrotoluene (toxic, carcinogenic, and obsolete)
- Akardite (asymmetrical diphenyl urea)
- ortho-tolyl urethane
- Polyester adipate
- Camphor (obsolete)
- Stabilizers, to prevent or slow down self-decomposition
- Diphenylamine
- Petroleum jelly
- Calcium carbonate
- Magnesium oxide
- Sodium bicarbonate
- beta-naphthol methyl ether
- Amyl alcohol (obsolete)
- Aniline (obsolete)
- Decoppering additives, to hinder the buildup of copper residues from the gun barrel rifling
- Tin metal and compounds (e.g., tin dioxide)
- Bismuth metal and compounds (e.g., bismuth trioxide, bismuth subcarbonate, bismuth nitrate, bismuth antimonide); the bismuth compounds are favored as copper dissolves in molten bismuth, forming brittle and easily removable alloy
- Lead foil and lead compounds, phased out due to toxicity
- Flash reducers, to reduce the brightness of the muzzle flash (all have a disadvantage: the production of smoke)
- Potassium chloride
- Potassium nitrate
- Potassium sulfate
- Potassium hydrogen tartarate (a byproduct of wine production formerly used by French artillery)
- Wear reduction additives, to lower the wear of the gun barrel liners
- Wax
- Talc
- Titanium dioxide
- Polyurethane jackets over the powder bags, in large guns
- Other additives
- Ethyl acetate, a solvent for manufacture of spherical powder
- Rosin, a surfactant to hold the grain shape of spherical powder
- Graphite, a lubricant to cover the grains and prevent them from sticking together, and to dissipate static electricity
Read more about this topic: Smokeless Powder
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