Sensitivity Relationships in Energetic Materials

In searching for new explosives one is most concerned with performance (detonation velocity and pressure), thermal properties, and sensitivity, whether a new candidate explosive is ultimately widely used may well be determined by other factors, such as cost, toxicity, melting point, etc., but the initial research effort is guided by the trinity of performance, thermal stability, and sensitivity. This presents a difficult multifactoral problem in assessing the various molecular properties that contribute to each of these principal selection criteria. For instance, detonation velocity is affected by density, elemental composition, and heat of formation. These factors must be varied together in such a way as to maximize the combined effect on performance.