Minol (explosive)


Minol is a military explosive developed by the British Admiralty early in the Second World War to augment supplies of trinitrotoluene and RDX, which were then in short supply. The aluminium component in Minol significantly prolongs the explosive pulse, making it ideal for use in underwater naval weapons where munitions with a longer explosive pulse are more destructive than those with high brisance.
Minol cannot be used in weapons fired from gun barrels because there is a risk of detonation when subjected to over 250 gs of acceleration.
Typically, four different Minol formulas were used. All percentages shown are by weight:
Since the 1950s, Minol has gradually been superseded by more modern PBX compositions, due to their superior explosive yield and stable storage characteristics. As a result, Minol is regarded as obsolete. Generally, any Minol-filled munitions encountered will be in the form of legacy munitions or unexploded ordnance dating from before the 1960s.