Igniter Compositions For Lova And Double-Base Propellants Containing Kdn

The ignition of modern gun propellants is still a challenging task that requires new igniter compositions adapted to the particular type of propellant. Pyrotechnic research always looks for new components which may help to improve the performance of an igniter. As an example, potassium dinitramide (KDN) features in a high potential as effective pyrotechnic oxidizer. In this study, a B/KDN composition is compared with the equivalent B/KNO3 composition, black powder, and a double-base igniter concerning particle temperatures and their igniter properties. The plume jet of all igniter compositions was investigated in a window bomb at constant pressure (0.1 to 10 MPa N-2) and its interaction with single grains of standard gun powders (double-base, LOVA) and an ammonium dinitramide (ADN) solid propellant formulation. The ignition behavior was characterized using the ignition delay times as a function of the pressure determined from high-speed video and fast emission spectroscopy evaluation. As expected, the ignition delay times decrease drastically with pressure. Igniter compositions producing plume jets including fine particles ignited all propellants faster and at lower pressure deflagration limits (PDL) as the particle free composition. Especially at elevated pressure, B/KDN produces plume jets including a high number of fine particles and in most cases resulted in the shortest ignition delay times.