Relative effectiveness factor
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Relative effectiveness factor or R.E. factor is a measurement of an explosive's power for military demolitions purposes. It is used to compare an explosives effectiveness relative to TNT by weight only. This is so engineers can substitute one explosive for another when they are figuring out blasting equations that are designed for TNT. For example, if a timber cutting charge requires 1 kg of TNT to work, it would take 0.6 kg of PETN or 1.25 kg of ammonium nitrate to have the same effect. All of these values are speculative and unverified.
[edit] Some R.E. factor examples
| Explosive, Grade | Density g/cm³ |
Detonation Vel.m/s |
R.E. |
|---|---|---|---|
| TNT | 1.654 | 6,900 | 1.00 |
| Amatol, 80%TNT+20%AN | 1.548 | 6,570 | 1.17 |
| Ammonium nitrate | 1.123 | 5,270 | 0.42 |
| ANFO, 94.3%AN+5.7%FuelOil | 0.84 | 5,270 | 0.8 |
| C-3 | 1.34 | ||
| C-4,91%RDX | 1.737 | 8,040 | 1.34 |
| Composition B,63%RDX+36%TNT | 1.751 | 8,000 | 1.35 |
| Dynamite, Ammonia 40% | 0.41 | ||
| Dynamite, Ammonia 50% | 0.46 | ||
| Dynamite, Ammonia 60% | 0.53 | ||
| Dynamite, Gelatin 40% | 0.42 | ||
| Dynamite, Gelatin 50% | 0.47 | ||
| Dynamite, Gelatin 60% | 0.76 | ||
| Dynamite, Military | 0.92 | ||
| Dynamite, Straight 40% | 0.65 | ||
| Dynamite, Straight 50% | 0.79 | ||
| Dynamite, Straight 60% | 0.83 | ||
| Gunpowder,75%KN+15%C+10%S | 1.7 | var.w/Sulfur | 0.55 |
| Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane | 2.04 | ||
| HMX | 1.91 | 9,100 | 1.70 |
| Nitroglycerin | 1.6 | 7,700 | 1.50 |
| Nuclear weapon yield | 19.1 | 250 | <6M |
| Octanitrocubane | 2 | 10,100 | 2.7 |
| PETN | 1.773 | 8,400 | 1.66 |
| RDX | 1.82 | 8,750 | 1.60 |
| Semtex, 94.3%PETN+5.7%RDX | 1.776 | 8,420 | 1.66 |
| Tetryl | 1.73 | 7,570 | 1.25 |
| Tetrytol, 70%Tetryl+30%TNT | 1.707 | 7,370 | 1.20 |
| Explosive, Grade | Density (g/cm³) |
Detonation Vel. (m/s) |
R.E. |
Note: Practical Nuclear weapons have reached from 400 kg(TNTe)/kg up to 5,200,000 kg(TNTe)/kg.
[edit] References
- Cooper, Paul W., Explosives Engineering, New York: Wiley-VCH, 1996. ISBN 0-471-18636-8
[edit] See also
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