At what altitude does a powder's completeness of combustion become a concern? Specifically, at 8000-9500 elevations, with the air thinner, naturally there would be less oxygen, so do some calibers have an issue with incomplete powder burn? What about faster vs slower burn-rate powders... Maybe for most cal's it's no problem, but anyone have some ideas? Thanks.
Powder combustion vs altitude
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It's a sealed cartridge. It doesn't know what altitude it's at.
The 4 components constitute a sealed container with a combustible propellant inside, capped with a primer on one end, and a projectile machine-pressed into the neck.
They are generally waterproof as well. A loaded cartridge has a very long shelf life. I've seen the 100yr figure before.NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO
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Originally posted by grayfox View PostInteresting!! I didn't know it carries its own oxidizer... thought it needed some oxygen for the burn...
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Originally posted by Drillboss View PostYou actually knew the answer, you just hadn't thought about it. It's all a sealed combustion chamber until the bullet leaves the barrel.
I hope it wasn't too dumb a question, I don't mind learning something new every day.
Thanks guys."Down the floor, out the door, Go Brandon Go!!!!!"
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And, the more I think about it (as per DB), the more it does make sense... What I meant earlier in saying "oxidizer" - that was the wrong term, oxygen supply is what I really was thinking... as CockednLocked says. It also explains why powder burns so rapidly... and why underwater explosives work...
Ok, done beating a dead horse!!"Down the floor, out the door, Go Brandon Go!!!!!"
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And not all explosives require oxygen. Consider one of the most sensitive contact explosives "Nitrogen Triiodide" when it is dried out of solution, you can set it off by placing a feather over it. It is basically NI3, a molecule composed of a Nitrogen atom bonded to three Iodine atoms via three single bonds. When detonated it becomes a fixed triple bonded Nitrogen molecule N2 and Iodine I2. Oh and a lot of heat.
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Chemical compounds release energy in different ways: decomposition (such as the Nitrogen Triiodide), deflagration, and detonation. Deflagration and detonation differ mainly in the speed at which they occur. Deflagration is a subsonic propagation reaction, and gunpowder falls within this range, and heat must be applied to start the reaction (ignition by the primer); it can be referred to as a "low explosive". Detonation is a supersonic propagation reaction (high explosive) and can be initiated by heat or high impact shock (TNT and plastic explosive being examples using both, and Tannerite as one requiring high impact shock.
Stability of the compound is part of what determines its usefulness. Nitrogen Triiodide has no real use, since it is too unstable to store or transport, and must be handled only in a liquid state while the compound is developing. The energy release is due solely from the chemical separation (on a molecular level) of the two elements forming the compound. Once exploded, you have Nitrogen in its gaseous state, and Iodine. With common explosives and gunpowders, the compounds that exist post combustion/explosion are different from what you started with.
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