Detonator using Nickel Hydrazine Nitrate as Primary Explosive

Nickel hydrazine nitrate is an energetic coordination compound having explosive properties in between that of primary and secondary. This compound was used to develop a new type of detonator by replacing the sensitive primary explosive, lead azide in conventional detonators and keeping RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine) as the output secondary explosive. The detonator consists of three regions, viz., initiation, deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT), and output. The initiation and the electrical rating of 1A/1W no-fire were achieved using a suitable squib. The DDT and the output were taken care of, by pressing requisite quantities of Nickel hydrazine nitrate and RDX, respectively at required densities in a stainless steel stem channel. The detonator assembly involves crimping the squib and the stem channel in a stainless steel housing and applying a suitable resin at the crimped-end for leak tightness. The output was assessed from the dent depth on aluminium plate, volume expansion on lead block, and by achieving veloctiy of detonation of 8200 m/s in mild detonating cords, containing 0.95 g/m of RDX, which indicates full-order detonation. The detonators were tested at system level and found to perform satisfactorily.