EXPLOSIVE DETECTION EQUIPMENT
Types of Explosives
Name Scientific and/or Other Name Characteristics
Very sensitive to shock, friction, heat, and
flame. Made from hydrogen peroxide,
Acetone Peroxide Acetonetriperoxide acetone, and sulfuric acid.
Amatol Mixture of AN and TNT.
Very stable and difficult to explode
although it can be detonated under high
AN Ammonium Nitrate pressure at high temperatures.
Nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin blended
together with diphenylamine which acts
as a stabilizer. Burns with a considerable
amount of flash and smoke, and
Ballastite generates great volume of gas.
A low explosive composed essentially of
potassium nitrate or sodium nitrate,
charcoal, and sulfur. Very sensitive to
Black Powder heat, friction, or spark.
Wax coated, granular explosive
Composition A A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5 consisting of TDX and plasticizer wax.
Composition B Consists of a mixture of RDX and TNT.
Plastic demolition explosive consisting of
RDX, other explosives, and plasticizer.
The difference in C1 thru 4 is the
temperature range in which they can
Composition C C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4 remain useful.
Contains nitroguanidine, nitrocellulose,
and nitroglycerine. Very cool burning with
Cordite N little smoke or flash.
Manufactured in three formulations by
varying mixture percentages of RDX and
Cyclotol TNT.
An insensitive high explosive that is very
DATB Diaminotrinitrobenzene similar to TATB
Primary explosive sensitive to shock,
DDNP Diazodinitrophenol friction, and flame.
Uses
Used as a bursting charge in aerial
bombs and artillery shells in WW II
Fertilizer. Used as an additive in
many explosive mixtures.
Double based powder used as a
rocket propellant.
No longer used as a propellant or
bursting charge. Used in safety
fuses and muzzle loaders. Pipe
bombs.
Used as a bursting charge in Navy
2.25 a 5-inch rockets and land
mines.
Used as a burster in Army
projectiles and in rockets and land
mines.
It can be molded by hand for
demolition work and packed by
hand into shape charge devices.
Used as a propellant in aircraft gun
ammunition.
Used for loading shape charge
bombs, special fragmentation
projectiles, and grenades.
used in modern warheads
Detonator
 Name Scientific and/or Other Name Characteristics
It resembles a safety fuse but it contains
high explosive (TNT) instead of black
Detonating Cord Cordeau powder.
Explosive D Ammonium Picrate Very insensitive to shock and friction.
Fairly sensitive to friction, shock, and fire.
Comes from cotton and wood. Employed
extensively fin the manufacture os single
Guncotton Nitrocellulose based propellants.
A binary explosives that is a castable
mixture of RDX, TNT, powdered
aluminum, and D-2 wax with calcium
H-6 chloride.
HBX-1 and HBX-3 are binary explosives
that are castable mixtures of RDX, TNT,
powdered aluminum, and D-2 wax with
HBX High Blast Explosion calcium chloride.
Very sensitive to friction, shock, heat, and
flame. Made from
hexamethylenetetramine, hydrogen
HMTD Hexamethylenetriperoxidediamine peroxide, and citric acid.
High explosive that is sensitive to high
High Melting Explosive, Octogen, temperatures. Made up of hexamine, AN,
HMX Cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine nitric acid, and acetic acid.
A primary explosive that has a high
temperature of ignition but it is less
brisant and less sensitive to shock and
Lead Azide friction than mercury fulminate.
Primary explosive that is sensitive to fire
and static electricity. Less sensitive to
shock and friction than mercury fulminate
Lead Styphnate and lead azide. Stable.
A primary explosive that is very sensitive
Mercury Fulminate to friction, heat, flame and shock.
A binary explosive that is castible mixture
of TNT, ammonium nitrate, and powdered
Minol 2 aluminum.
High explosive that is very insensitive.
MMAN Monomethylamine Nitrate Similar to TNT.
Uses
Used in both commercial and
military.
Used as a bursting charge for
armor piercing shells and in other
types of projectiles that must
withstand severe shock and stress
before detonating.
Used in manufacturing lacquers
and gunpowder's. Also used in
electric primers and electrically
initiated detonators.
Used as a standard bursting
charge for general purpose bombs.
Used in missile warheads and
underwater ordnance.
Used as a blasting cap.
Mixed with TNT in high blast
explosives.
Adopted as adetenator of major
caliber, point, and auxiliary
detonating fuses. Used in primary
mixtures.
Used as a component in primer
and detonator mixtures.
Detonators and priming
compositions
Used as a bursting charge where
TNT is in short supply.
 Name Scientific and/or Other Name Characteristics Uses

Nitro-glycerin Very sensitive to friction, heat, and shock. Used to make dynamite.
Insensitive to high temperatures, shock,
and impact. Similar to TNT and picric Propellant and bursting charge
Nitro-guanidine acid. ingredient.
Primarily used in booster and
bursting charges in small caliber
ammo. Military explosive used in
grenades and projectiles. Used as
Highly explosive organic compound a detonator and in Primacord.
belonging to the same chemical family as Also used in medicine as a heart
PETN Pentraerythritol Tetranitrate nitroglycerine stimulant.
Close relative to TNT. Very explosive used as a yellow dye, antiseptic,
Picric Acid Trinitrophenol when dry. and insecticide.
Same as Det Cord but the core is filled Used in both commercial and
Primacord with PETN. military.
Flexible, waterproof explosive made of
PETN and a rubber-like material. Formed
into sheets which can be cut into any size
Primasheet Detasheet and shape.
Very stable and is considered the most Used in other explosives. Forms
Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, powerful and brisant of the military high the base for Composition A, B, and
RDX cyclonite, hexogen explosives. Rarely used alone. C; HBX; H-6; and Cyclotol.
Plastic explosive that is extremely stable. Used in commercial blasting and
Needs a blasting cap or det cord to set serves as a primary explosive in
off. Composed of RDX and PETN. military rockets and missiles.
Semtex Difficult to detect. Favored by terrorists.
Used almost exclusively as the
propellant for gun and rocket
ammunition. Some of the most
frequently used types is
Guncotton, Ballistite, and Cordite
Smokeless Powder Very sensitive to heat, friction, or spark. N. Pipe Bombs.
Primary explosive that's sensitive to high
TACC Tetraminecopper Chlorate temperatures, friction, and shock
High explosive that is insensitive to high
TATB Triaminotrinitrobenzene temperature's, shock, and impact. used in modern nuclear warheads
A high explosive made of acetone,
peroxide, and one other readily available The most common explosive used
TATP Triacetonetriperoxide ingredient. by terrorists in the Middle East.
TENN Tetranitronapthalene Similar to TNT.
Primary explosive that explodes readily to Used in combination of other
flame producing large amounts of black explosives. Used in detonators
Tetracene smoke. and priming compositions.
 Name Scientific and/or Other Name Characteristics Uses
Can be initiated from flame, friction,
Tetryl Trinitrophenylmethylnitramine shock, or sparks. It burns readily. Standard booster explosive.
Used in burster tubes for chemical
bombs, in demolition blocks, and
Tetrytol A cast mixture of tetryl and TNT cast shape charges.
Used in other explosives such as
RDX, PETN, Amatol, and EDNA.
Very stable high explosive. Insensitive to Can be used as a booster or as a
shock and impact. Standard with which bursting charge for high explosive
TNT Trinitrotoluene all other explosives are measured. shells and bombs.
More powerful and more sensitive to
Tritonal shock than TNT. Bombs