Trauzl lead block test

The Trauzl lead block test, also called the Trauzl test or just Trauzl, is a test used to measure the strength of explosive materials. It was developed by Isidor Trauzl in 1885.

The test is performed by loading a 10-gram foil-wrapped sample of the explosive into a hole drilled into a lead block with specific dimensions and properties (a soft lead cylinder, 200 mm diameter and 200 mm high, with the hole 125 mm deep and 25 mm diameter)[1]. The hole is then topped up with sand, and the sample is detonated electrically. After detonation, the volume increase of the cavity is measured. The result, given in cm³, is called the Trauzl number of the explosive.

The Trauzl test is not useful for some modern higher-powered explosives as their power often cracks or otherwise ruptures the lead block, leaving no hole to measure.[2]

A variant of the test uses an aluminium block to avoid exposure of participants to lead-related hazards.

Examples

Explosive power of chemical explosives by Trauzl number:

Explosive	Trauzl rating (cm³/g)
Dinitrophenol (DNP)	24
Acetone peroxide	25-33
RDX (C4/Hexogen)	45
HMTD	33
HMX (octogen)	48
Nitroglycerin	52
Pentaerythritol tetranitrate	52
Trinitrotoluene (TNT)	30

Notes

Krehl, Peter O. K. (2008-09-24). History of Shock Waves, Explosions and Impact: A Chronological and Biographical Reference. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783540304210.
Lepper, Bessie; F. Everett Reed; William E. Gordon (September 1955). "Lead-Block Test for Explosives". Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 47 (9): 1794–1800. doi:10.1021/ie50549a028.

gollark: Although in the floating point pointer scheme you can just use NaN.

gollark: It's a pointroid, so just useify a null pointer to signify None?

gollark: What's a brachyuraform?

gollark: Why not port PotatOS to x86 instead?

gollark: Interesting.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Krehl, Peter O. K. (2008-09-24). History of Shock Waves, Explosions and Impact: A Chronological and Biographical Reference. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9783540304210.

[Lead-Block_Test_for_Explosives-2] Lepper, Bessie; F. Everett Reed; William E. Gordon (September 1955). "Lead-Block Test for Explosives". Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. 47 (9): 1794–1800. doi:10.1021/ie50549a028.