STANAG 4147 Chemical Compatibility of Explosive Ordnance Components (Non-Nuclear Applications)

STANAG standards, which are NATO standardization agreements, determine the military standards of NATO member countries. One of the standards published in this framework is the STANAG 4147 standard. This standard is limited to the chemical compatibility of munitions components with explosives and does not cover procedures and requirements for the prevention of non-compliance for other reasons.

For explosives, the following should be considered:

• Migration of soluble or volatile components at contact surfaces or through the vapor phase leads to unacceptable changes in physical properties.
• Changes in the sensitivity of the explosive to initiation by shock, friction, or other external stimuli.
• The emergence of an unacceptable risk of initiation by electrostatic discharge.

The STANAG 4147 standard is also not concerned with compatibility between components in explosive compositions and the consequent stability of such compositions.

The requirements (Annex B) and tests (Annex D) described in the standard annex are to ensure that the chemical compatibility of explosives with other ammunition components is of the required standard for safety during manufacture, storage and use, and reliability after storage under approved conditions.

In fact, explosives differ from each other in their nature and properties, and it is not possible to standardize all compatibility testing methods. To greatly assist in the harmonization of methods, the requirements for acceptable compatibility tests and the principles that apply when an agreed procedure is not used are included in the standard annexes.

The test methods described in Annex D of STANAG 414 7 provide data on the degree to which explosives react or decompose as a result of contact or proximity to the materials being tested. Because explosives have diverse properties and no single test method is generally applicable, a statement of applicability for each test method aims to provide guidance on the suitability of the method for different classes of explosives.

Among the numerous test, measurement, analysis and evaluation studies it provides for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides chemical compatibility (non-nuclear applications) testing services of explosive-containing ammunition components within the scope of STANAG 4147 standard, with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.