Filled with practical applications and research, Biodegradation of Nitroaromatic Compounds and Explosives presents an international perspective on environmental contamination from explosives. It covers biodegradation strategies for DNT and a wide variety of other nitroaromatic compounds of environmental significance and makes the information accessible to practicing environmental and chemical engineers. Biodegradation of Nitroaromatic Compounds and Explosives gives you a synthesis of ongoing research and an appreciation of the remarkable range of biochemical strategies available for the transformation of nitroaromatic compounds. It provides a realistic assessment of the current and potential field applications of the various strategies.

Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) a highly promising new technique for bulk explosives detection: relatively inexpensive, more compact than NMR, but with considerable selectivity. Since the NQR frequency is insensitive to long-range variations in composition, mixing explosives with other materials, such as the plasticizers in plastic explosives, makes no difference. The NQR signal strength varies linearly with the amount of explosive, and is independent of its distribution within the volume monitored. NQR spots explosive types in configurations missed by the X-ray imaging method.

But if NQR is so good, why it is not used everywhere? Its main limitation is the low signal-to-noise ratio, particularly with the radio-frequency interference that exists in a field environment, NQR polarization being much weaker than that from an external magnetic field. The distinctive signatures are there, but are difficult to extract from the noise. In addition, the high selectivity is partly a disadvantage, as it is hard to build a multichannel system necessary to cover a wide range of target substances. Moreover, substances fully screened by metallic enclosures, etc. are difficult to detect. A workshop was held at St Petersburg in July 2008 in an attempt to solve these problems and make NQR the universal technique for the detection of bombs regardless of type. This book presents the essentials of the papers given there.

Including 183 color and black-and-white images of vintage photos and packaging, plus values for American firecracker collectibles, this is the first book to focus on US firecrackers. Many pyrobilia guides cover Chinese firecrackers, but the US's history is just as colorful, from fireworks' inception into American celebrations as a replacement for dangerous celebratory gun and cannon fire, until the final federal ban with the Child Protection Act of 1966. Fireworks made the 4th of July the best holiday ever, for generations of boys especially. Beginning with a brief history of the firecracker and how it came to America, the book details the types the US produced-a wide array, from Cherry Bombs and Silver Salutes to Ash Cans and Torpedoes. Also covered are how the US Industrial Revolution impacted fireworks, as well as the innovations throughout the American industry, from its successes to the factory disasters.

Laser-Based Optical Detection of Explosives offers a comprehensive review of past, present, and emerging laser-based methods for the detection of a variety of explosives. This book: Considers laser propagation safety and explains standard test material preparation for standoff optical-based detection system evaluation Explores explosives detection using deep ultraviolet native fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, reflectometry, and hyperspectral imaging Examines photodissociation followed by laser-induced fluorescence, photothermal methods, cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometry, and short-pulse laser-based techniques Describes the detection and recognition of explosives using terahertz-frequency spectroscopic techniques Each chapter is authored by a leading expert on the respective technology, and is structured to supply historical perspective, address current advantages and challenges, and discuss novel research and applications. Readers are left with an in-depth understanding and appreciation of each technology's capabilities and potential for standoff hazard detection.

Siting of permanent and temporary buildings in process areas requires careful consideration of potential effects of explosions and fires arising from accidental release of flammable materials. This book, which updates the 1996 edition, provides a single-source reference that explains the American Petroleum Institute (API) permanent (752) and temporary (753) building recommended practices and details how to implement them. New coverage on toxicity and updated standards are also highlighted. Practical and easy-to-use, this reliable guide is a must-have for implementing safe building practices.

This unique monograph investigates the synthesis, properties and processing of energetic materials and propellant compositions. The thermal decomposition of energetic compounds, such as aliphatic and aromatic nitrocompounds, nitramines, nitroethers, organic azides and difluoroamines, polynitrous heterocycles, and onium salts of different acids, the most important components of modern propellants, are given. The kinetics and mechanisms of chemical reactions for both real and model compounds are presented and the classic problem of the dependence of explosive activity on molecular structure is examined.

New methods for a formal kinetic description of decay of condensed substances, the determination of the energy of bond rupture in polyfunctional compounds and the theory of solid-phase reactions are also given. Applications to problems of predicting the stability, compatibility, and the stabilization of explosives and propellant components are included.

The book will be of interest to graduate students, researchers and professionals in industry interested in chemical kinetics and the combustion of energetic materials.

This book reviews the development of research into the explosive loading of structures, mainly since the beginning of the twentieth century. Major contributions in the fields of measurement, analysis and prediction are discussed. Dynamic loading from conventional high explosives is examined, as well as the effects of liquid propellant, dust, gas, vapour, and fuel/air explosions. Subjects include blast in tunnels, underground and underwater explosions, pressure measurement and blast stimulation. Explosive effects on civil buildings, civil bridges, aircraft and ships are summarized, including the estimation of residual strength. The concluding passages refer to structural safety and reliability.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203473868

Laser-Based Optical Detection of Explosives offers a comprehensive review of past, present, and emerging laser-based methods for the detection of a variety of explosives. This book: Considers laser propagation safety and explains standard test material preparation for standoff optical-based detection system evaluation Explores explosives detection using deep ultraviolet native fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, reflectometry, and hyperspectral imaging Examines photodissociation followed by laser-induced fluorescence, photothermal methods, cavity-enhanced absorption spectrometry, and short-pulse laser-based techniques Describes the detection and recognition of explosives using terahertz-frequency spectroscopic techniques Each chapter is authored by a leading expert on the respective technology, and is structured to supply historical perspective, address current advantages and challenges, and discuss novel research and applications. Readers are left with an in-depth understanding and appreciation of each technology's capabilities and potential for standoff hazard detection.

Presenting a comprehensive overview of the fire resistance of building structures, this key text brings together a large volume of material from many sources on this increasingly important topic. Opening with the fundamentals of fires and fire safety, the book gives an introduction to real fire exposure and the response of strutures to such fires, outlining the important contribution of structural fire resistance to overall fire safety. Methods of calculating fire severity and achieving fire resistance are described, including fire performance of the main structural materials including structural steel, reinforced concrete and timber construction. Particularly valuable elements of the book are its design sections (incorporating international methods), where the arlier material is synthesised and recommendations are rmade for rational design of building structures exposed to fires.
Structural Design for Fire Safety provides expert guidance on:

• interpreting code requirements for fire safety
• understanding the concepts of fire severity and fire resistance
• estimating time-temperature curves for fully developed compartment fires
• understanding the behaviour of structural elements and buildings exposed to fires
• designing steel, concrete and timber structures to resist fire exposure
• assessing the fire performance of existing structures

Tunnelling in Rock by Drilling and Blasting presents the latest developments in the excavation of tunnels using the drilling and blasting method. Examples of work conducted throughout the world including the Indian sub-continent, Australia, and Sweden amongst others are discussed. These tunnel projects serve to illustrate the challenges and importance of drilling accuracy, the effect of geology, methods of vibration prediction and control, and techniques for assessing tunnel performance in terms of overbreak and underbreak, advance and rock mass damage. A number of case studies demonstrate the ingenuity required to successfully excavate tunnels in demanding circumstances. Finally, an overview is provided of the software tools and IT, and the explosives and initiation products used to implement tunnel blast designs. Tunnelling in Rock by Drilling and Blasting is the outcome of the workshop, Tunnelling in Rock by Drilling and Blasting, hosted by the 10th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting (Fragblast 10, November 2010, New Delhi, India), and is essential reading for researchers and practitioners in tunnelling in rock by drilling and blasting.

Major advances, both in modeling methods and in the computing power required to make those methods viable, have led to major breakthroughs in our ability to model the performance and vulnerability of explosives and propellants. In addition, the development of proton radiography during the last decade has provided researchers with a major new experimental tool for studying explosive and shock wave physics. Problems that were once considered intractable - such as the generation of water cavities, jets, and stems by explosives and projectiles - have now been solved. Numerical Modeling of Explosives and Propellants, Third Edition provides a complete overview of this rapidly emerging field, covering basic reactive fluid dynamics as well as the latest and most complex methods and findings. It also describes and evaluates Russian contributions to the experimental explosive physics database, which only recently have become available. This book comes with downloadable resources that contain- * FORTRAN and executable computer codes that operate under Microsoft (R) Windows Vista operating system and the OS X operating system for Apple computers * Windows Vista and MAC compatible movies and PowerPoint presentations for each chapter * Explosive and shock wave databases generated at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Russian Federal Nuclear Centers Charles Mader's three-pronged approach - through text, computer programs, and animations - imparts a thorough understanding of new computational methods and experimental measuring techniques, while also providing the tools to put these methods to effective use.

This work covers such topics as: EU directives and harmonization work; health, safety and environment; recent technical development - products and processes; shot hole development; and management of blasting operations.

This book begins with an account of the evolution of improvised explosive devices using a number of micro case studies to explore how and why actors have initiated IED campaigns; how new and old technologies and expertise have been exploited and how ethical barriers to IED development and deployment have been dealt with. It proceeds to bring the evidence from the case studies together to identify themes and trends in IED development, before looking at what can realistically be done to mitigate the threat of IEDs in the new wars of the twenty first century. The book suggests that the advance and availability of a combination of technological factors, in conjunction with changes in the nature of contemporary conflicts, have led to the emergence of IEDs as the paradigmatic weapons of new wars. However their prevalence in contemporary and future conflicts is not inevitable, but rather depends on the willingness of multiple sets of actors at different levels to build a web of preventative measures to mitigate - if not eradicate - IED development and deployment.

This dictionary contains 739 entries with about 1400 references to the primary literature. Details on the composition, performance, sensitivity and other pertinent properties of Energetic Materials such as High Explosives, Propellants, Pyrotechnics, as well as important ingredients such as Oxidizers, Fuels, Binders, and Modifiers are given and presented partly in over 180 tables with more than 240 structural formulas . In detail the dictionary gives elaborate descriptions of 460 Chemical Substances 170 Pyrotechnic Compositions 360 High Explosive and Propellant Formulations In addition, the basic physical and thermochemical properties of 435 pure substances (elements & compounds) typically occuring as ingredients or reaction products are given too. 150 Figures, schemes and diagrams explain Applications, Test methods, Scientific facilities, and finally Individuals closely tied with the development and investigation of Energetic Materials. The book is intended for readers with a technical or scientific background, active in governmental agencies, research institutes, trade and industry, concerned with the procurement, development, manufacture, investigation and use of Energetic Materials, such as High Explosives, Propellants, Pyrotechnics, Fireworks and Ammunition. The book serves both as a daily reference for the experienced as well as an introduction for the newcomer to the field.

New technological innovations offer significant opportunities to promote and protect human rights. At the same time, they also pose undeniable risks. In some areas, they may even be changing what we mean by human rights. The fact that new technologies are often privately controlled raises further questions about accountability and transparency and the role of human rights in regulating these actors. This volume - edited by Molly K. Land and Jay D. Aronson - provides an essential roadmap for understanding the relationship between technology and human rights law and practice. It offers cutting-edge analysis and practical strategies in contexts as diverse as autonomous lethal weapons, climate change technology, the Internet and social media, and water meters. This title is also available as Open Access.

The combustion properties of organic materials are used to assess their safety specifications. This knowledge is necessary to avoid potentially disastrous fires. The experimental determination of the combustion properties of a new organic compound is laborious and sometimes even impossible. This book describes methods for the determination and prediction of the combustion properties of organic compounds, along with some examples and exercises. This 2nd Edition includes an updated and improved presentation of the applicationnof different new models for reliable prediction of diverse aspects of flammability of organic compounds.

This book reviews the development of research into the explosive loading of structures, mainly since the beginning of the twentieth century. Major contributions in the fields of measurement, analysis and prediction are discussed. Dynamic loading from conventional high explosives is examined, as well as the effects of liquid propellant, dust, gas, vapour, and fuel/air explosions. Subjects include blast in tunnels, underground and underwater explosions, pressure measurement and blast stimulation. Explosive effects on civil buildings, civil bridges, aircraft and ships are summarized, including the estimation of residual strength. The concluding passages refer to structural safety and reliability.

Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) a highly promising new technique for bulk explosives detection: relatively inexpensive, more compact than NMR, but with considerable selectivity. Since the NQR frequency is insensitive to long-range variations in composition, mixing explosives with other materials, such as the plasticizers in plastic explosives, makes no difference. The NQR signal strength varies linearly with the amount of explosive, and is independent of its distribution within the volume monitored. NQR spots explosive types in configurations missed by the X-ray imaging method.

But if NQR is so good, why it is not used everywhere? Its main limitation is the low signal-to-noise ratio, particularly with the radio-frequency interference that exists in a field environment, NQR polarization being much weaker than that from an external magnetic field. The distinctive signatures are there, but are difficult to extract from the noise. In addition, the high selectivity is partly a disadvantage, as it is hard to build a multichannel system necessary to cover a wide range of target substances. Moreover, substances fully screened by metallic enclosures, etc. are difficult to detect. A workshop was held at St Petersburg in July 2008 in an attempt to solve these problems and make NQR the universal technique for the detection of bombs regardless of type. This book presents the essentials of the papers given there.

Detection and quantification of trace chemicals is a major thrust of analytical chemistry. In recent years much effort has been spent developing detection systems for priority pollutants. Less mature are the detections of substances of interest to law enforcement and security personnel: in particular explosives. This volume will discuss the detection of these, not only setting out the theoretical fundamentals, but also emphasizing the remarkable developments in the last decade. Terrorist events airplanes blown out of the sky (PanAm 103 over Lockerbie) and attacks on U.S. and European cities (Trade Center in New York and the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, railways in London and Madrid)--emphasize the danger of concealed explosives. However, since most explosives release little vapor, it was not possible to detect them by technology used on most organic substances. After PanAm 103 was downed over Scotland, the U.S. Congress requested automatic explosive detection equipment be placed in airports. This volume outlines the history of explosive detection research, the developments along the way, present day technologies, and what we think the future holds.

- Written by experts in the field who set out both the scientific issues and the practical context with authority
- Discusses and describes the threat
- Describes the theoretical background and practical applications of both trace and bulk explosives detection"

This book collects lectures of an international NATO-Russian Advanced Research Workshop on Detection and Disposal of Improvised Explosives (IE) used by terrorists. The disposal of IE is especially dangerous, because they are often much more unstable and mechanically more sensitive than commercial or military explosives. This text covers detection of explosives by different analytical methods and the different shape and compositions of the explosive charge, and offers up-to-date advice on handling and disposal.

Gunpowder studies are still in their infancy despite the long-standing civil and military importance of this explosive since its discovery in China in the mid-ninth century AD. In this second volume by contributors who meet regularly at symposia of the International Committee for the History of Technology (ICOHTEC), the research is again rooted in the investigation of the technology of explosives manufacture, but the fact that the chapters range in scope from the Old World to the New, from sources of raw materials in south-east Asia to the complications of manufacture in the West, shows that the story is more than the simple one of how an intriguing product was made. This volume is the first to develop the implications of the subject, not just in the sense of relating it to changing military technologies, but in that of seeing the securing of gunpowder supplies as fundamental to the power of the state and imperial pretensions.The search for saltpetre, for example, an essential ingredient of gunpowder, became a powerful engine of sea-going European trade from the early seventeenth century. Smaller states like Venice were unable to form these distant connections, and so to sustain a gunpowder army. Stronger states like France and Britain were able to do so, and became even more powerful as the demand for improved explosives fostered national strengths - leading to a development of the sciences, especially chemistry, in the former case, and of manufacturing techniques in the latter.

The fast detection of explosives from the vapor phase would be one way to enhance the protection of society against terrorist attacks. Up to now the problem of detection of explosives, especially the location of explosives whether at large areas e. g. station halls, theaters or hidden in cars, aircraft cargo, baggage or explosives hidden in crowds e. g. suicide bombers or bombs in bags has not been solved. Smelling of explosives like dogs do seems to be a valuable tool for a security chain. In general different strategies can be adopt to the basic problem of explosive detection: * bulk detection * vapor detection Normally meetings cover both aspects and applications of the detection. Even though both methods might fulfill special aspects of a general security chain the underlying scientific questions differ strongly. Because of that the discussions of the scientists and practitioners from the different main directions are sometimes only less specific. Therefore the NATO Advisory Panel in Security-Related Civil Science and Technology proposed a small series of NATO ARW's which focuses on the different scientific aspects of explosives detection methods. This book is based on material presented at the first NATO ARW of this series in Moscow which covered the topic: Vapor and trace detection of explosives. The second ARW was held in St. Petersburg and treated the topic Bulk detection methods. The third workshop was held in Warwick and focused on electronic noses which cover a somewhat different aspect of vapor detection.

This book contains papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop titled "Application of Gun and Rocket Propellants in Commercial Explosives." (SST.ARW975981) The workshop was organized in collaboration with codirector Dr. Bronislav V. Matseevich (KNIIM) and held in Krasnoarmeisk, Moscow Region, Russia, October 18-21, 1999. About 70 participants from 11 different countries took part in the meeting (Russia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, China, USA, Spain, Israel, Ukraine and the Netherlands). The workshop was principally the continuation of a previous NATO workshop on Conversion Concepts for Commercial Application and Disposal Technologies of Energetic Systems" held at Moscow, Russia, May 17-19, 1994 in the specific area of the reuse of gun and rocket propellants as ingredients in commercial explosives. Oldrich Machacek Vll ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank Dr. B.V. Matseevich, Director of the Krasnoarmeisk Scientific Research Institute of Mechanization ("KNIIM") for his extensive involvement as co-director in organizing the Advanced Research Workshop in Krasnoarmeisk, Russia. Special thanks goes to Dr. V.P. Glinskij, Dr. LV. Vasiljeva and A.I. Fedonina from KNIIM and Dr. B. Vetlicky for invaluable assistance in preparation and the smooth operation ofthe workshop.

This comprehensive book presents a detailed account of research and recent developments in the field of green energetic materials, including pyrotechnics, explosives and propellants. This area is attracting increasing interest in the community as it undergoes a transition from using traditional processes, to more environmentally-friendly procedures. The book covers the entire line of research from the initial theoretical modelling and design of new materials, to the development of sustainable manufacturing processes. It also addresses materials that have already reached the production line, as well as considering future developments in this evolving field.

This entertaining and informative book tells the dramatic tale of explosives from gunpowder to the H-bomb. Laying the emphasis on the lives of the people involved, on the diverse uses of explosives and on their social and historical impact, the author relates a story of remarkable international and human endeavour. Many of those involved - Roger Bacon, Guy Fawkes, Alfred Nobel, Robert Oppenheimer - are famed worldwide; others, such as C F Schonbein, William Bickford, Sir Frederick Abel and Charles E Munroe, though less well-known, also played critical roles. Alongside their achievements, this book highlights the uses and impact of explosives in both war and terrorism, and in civil engineering, quarrying, mining, demolition, fireworks manufacture and shooting for sport. In many cases explosives are seen to have had a significant historical impact as, for example, in the early use of gunpowder in the American Civil War, the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and the worldwide opening up of canals and railways.