Towards Safer Primers: A Review
1
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, John Street, Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, Australia
2
Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, ANFF, 151 Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
3
DefendTex Pty Ltd., 46 Bessemer Drive, Dandenong South, Victoria 3175, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Technologies 2019, 7(4), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies7040075
Received: 14 August 2019 / Revised: 9 October 2019 / Accepted: 14 October 2019 / Published: 18 October 2019
Primers are used to reliably initiate a secondary explosive in a wide range of industrial and defence applications. However, established primer technologies pose both direct and indirect risks to health and safety. This review analyses a new generation of primer materials and ignition control mechanisms that have been developed to address these risks in firearms. Electrically or optically initiated metal, oxide and semiconductor-based devices show promise as alternatives for heavy metal percussive primers. The prospects for wider use of low-cost, safe, reliable and non-toxic primers are discussed in view of these developments.
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Keywords:
primers; semiconductor bridges; thermites; energetic materials
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MDPI and ACS Style
Lundgaard, S.; Ng, S.H.; Cahill, D.; Dahlberg, J.; Ruan, D.; Cole, N.; Stoddart, P.R.; Juodkazis, S. Towards Safer Primers: A Review. Technologies 2019, 7, 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies7040075
AMA Style
Lundgaard S, Ng SH, Cahill D, Dahlberg J, Ruan D, Cole N, Stoddart PR, Juodkazis S. Towards Safer Primers: A Review. Technologies. 2019; 7(4):75. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies7040075
Chicago/Turabian StyleLundgaard, Stefan; Ng, Soon H.; Cahill, Damien; Dahlberg, Johan; Ruan, Dong; Cole, Nerida; Stoddart, Paul R.; Juodkazis, Saulius. 2019. "Towards Safer Primers: A Review" Technologies 7, no. 4: 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies7040075
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