Polymer-bonded explosive
Name Explosive ingredients Binder ingredients Usage
EDC-29 β- HMX 95% 5% HTPB UK composition
EDC-37 HMX / NC 91% 9% polyurethane rubber
LX-04-1 HMX 85% Viton -A 15% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons ( W62 , W70 )
LX-07-2 HMX 90% Viton -A 10% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons ( W71 )
LX-09-0 HMX 93% BDNPA 4.6% ; FEFO 2.4% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons ( W68 ) . Prone to deterioration and separation of the plasticizer and binder . Caused serious safety problems
LX-09-1 HMX 93.3% BDNPA 4.4% ; FEFO 2.3%
LX-10-0 HMX 95% Viton -A 5% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons ( W68 ( replaced LX-09 ) , W70 , W79 , W82 )
LX-10-1 HMX 94.5% Viton -A 5.5%
LX-11-0 HMX 80% Viton -A 20% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons ( W71 )
LX-14 -0 HMX 95.5% Estane & 5702-Fl 4.5%
LX-15 HNS 95% Kel-F 800 5%
LX-16 PETN 96% FPC461 4% FPC461 is a vinyl chloride : chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer and its response to gamma rays has been studied
LX-17-0 TATB 92.5% Kel-F 800 7.5% High-velocity , insensitive ; nuclear weapons ( B83 , W84 , W87 , W89 )
PBX 9007 RDX 90% Polystyrene 9.1% ; DOP 0.5% ; rosin 0.4%
PBX 9010 RDX 90% Kel-F 3700 10% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons ( W50 , B43 )
PBX 9011 HMX 90% Estane and 5703-Fl 10% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons ( B57 mods 1 and 2 )
PBX 9205 RDX 92% Polystyrene 6% ; DOP 2% Created in 1947 at Los Alamos , later given the PBX 9205 designation
PBX 9404 HMX 94% NC 3% ; CEF 3% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons , widely used ( B43 , W48 , W50 , W55 , W56 , B57 mod 2 , B61 mods 0 , 1 , 2 , 5 , W69 ) . Serious safety problems related to aging and decomposition of the nitrocellulose binder
PBX 9407 RDX 94% FPC461 6%
PBX 9501 HMX 95% Estane 2.5% ; BDNPA-F 2.5% High-velocity ; nuclear weapons ( W76 , W78 , W88 ) . One of the most extensively studied high explosive formulations
Some example PBXs
A polymer-bonded explosive, also called PBX or plastic-bonded explosive, is an explosive material in which explosive powder is bound together in a matrix using small quantities (typically 5-10% by weight) of a synthetic polymer. PBXs are normally used for explosive materials that are not easily melted into a casting, or are otherwise difficult to form. PBX was first developed in 1952 in Los Alamos National Laboratory, as RDX embedded in polystyrene with dioctyl phthalate plasticizer. HMX compositions with teflon-based binders were developed in 1960s and 1970s for gun shells and for Apollo Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP) seismic experiments, although the latter experiments are usually cited as using hexanitrostilbene (HNS).