Composition H-6 Explained

Composition H-6 is a melt-cast military aluminized high explosive. H-6 was developed in the United States.

The chemical composition of H-6 is specified as follows:^[1]

• • 45.1 ± 0.3% RDX 29.2 ± 3.0% TNT
• 21.0 ± 3.0% powdered aluminium
• 4.7 ± 1.0% paraffin wax as a phlegmatizing agent.
• 0.47 ± 0.1% calcium chloride

Comp H-6 is used in a number of military applications, specifically as a explosive main fill, in munitions including aerial bombs such as the general purpose Mark 80 bombs in use with the USMC and US Navy (while USAF Mark 80s use a tritonal main fill); and underwater munitions (e.g. naval mines, depth charges and torpedoes) where it has generally replaced torpex, being less shock-sensitive and having more stable storage characteristics. It is approximately 1.35 times more powerful than pure TNT.

Properties

• Density: 1.73—1.74 g/cm^3[2]
• Velocity of detonation: 7,367 m/s^[1]

Manufacture

Australia is one of the largest manufacturers of Composition H-6, originally being made at St Marys Munitions Filling Factory MFF New South Wales, for the main fill of Mark 82 and 84 general purpose bombs.^[3] Manufacturing has since moved to the Mulwala Propellant Facility, NSW.

See also

• Torpex
• Tritonal
• Minol
• Amatol
• Composition C

References

1. Web site: A Critical Diameter Study of the Australian Manufactured Underwater Explosive Composition H6 . 2015-09-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140217154334/http://dspace.dsto.defence.gov.au/dspace/bitstream/1947/3621/1/DSTO-TN-0049%20PR.pdf . 2014-02-17 . dead .
2. Book: Some Properties of Australian Produced Explosive Composition H-6 . DSTO . 1987.
3. Web site: Some Properties of Australian Produced Explosive Composition H-6 . 2024-02-13 . apps.dtic.mil.