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60mm mortar accident

highlandotter

HONOURED MEMBER RIP
7 lilled and 7 injured in Marine training accident in Nevada. No details. Could they have dropped a rmisfired round in removing from tube???
 
latest posted so far is thinking round went off in tube, but that's a lot of KIA and WIA for a single round in the tube. It's always a real sad event for such a tragic accidnet
 
The NBC news this morning stated that the round detonated in the tube.
 
not sure about about in the tube, but I have learned that it had a PD fuze instead of the multi option first thought. was at one of my clients shop who makes components for the multi option fuze was getting call when they taught it was the multi option fuze. But L3 who makes that fuze called and said it wasn't theirs and that it was a PD.

But that still doen't address the question or concerns about the current stock of lead azide which is going bad. My clients are pulling 20 lb bags every day becasue they find cyrstals growing when examined under a microscope. Not good
 
a good fuze design will ensure that the detonator will not set off the complete round if it is still in the safe position. problem is when a good fuze is produced badly ... or delivered armed.
 
Didn't think any modern PD fuze would allow for a bore-premature without some serious malfunctions......
 
We tend to think all of our current fuzes are 100% safe, I would say that is more like 98%. If you know how fuzes are manufacturered, which is about 80% automatic and the rest hand loaded. Then you can see where all it would take is a rotor that did not stay out of alginment, a spring missing or too weak, dent out of place, etc and you could have a partially armed if not fully armed fuze. I have worked for a few companies who load fuzes, the QC proram tries real ahrd to make sure all the fuzes are safe, but I have pulled more then a few partially armed and fully armed fuzes off assembky lines in the past. So it stands to reason a few might get through.

Even the fuze components - primers, leads, delys, detonators etc need to be laoded properly. Too much of a primary explosive and it cause the det to be blown out without setting off the full explosive train. There is also the primary explosive like NOL 130 or lead azide is too sensitive. The lead azide might even have crystals growing in it that if broek will set off the azide. I see this alot, especially with the current US stock pile of Lead Azide. The last time lead azide was made by the US gvy was 1967, Dupont and Uniroyal were the contracting operators at Joilet AAP.

Rigth now two of my clients that load fuze parts are ahving triubke with this azide, they take more samples from each 20 lb bag then is recommended by the government, they do so becasue they do not trust the azide. It is not unusal for x's and cross's to be detected under a microscope. These are the cyrstals starting to form. When this azide is used there have been detonations during drying screening and loading. I have even witnessed a fully loaded tray of delay primers (these were for the multi option fuze) auto detonate. Now this is unusual, but none the less it did. The government elected to go ahead and load these parts into the fuzes anyway.

There is one company in the US making lead azide that is acceptable fo gvt work, and they charge $2000.00/lb. The only other source that can be used comes from Grmany, but it is even more expensive when eyou add in shipping.

The current US atock pile is located at the Iowa AAP and is still being sold to contractors or provided as government firnished explosive.

One of my companies has over 750 lbs of azide that is considered damn, but has no way to disposal of it. However I have destroyed 20 lbs using casutic soda. But this is dangerous and has other hazards, not counting the environmental problems.
 
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