Iranian Scientific Association of Energetic Materials

Emulsion explosive is a form of water in oil emulsions. They include a mixture of fuel and oxidizer and other components. Emulsions are a new type of industrial explosive materials. Because of the stability, high safety and well explosive performance, are used as a powerful and inexpensive source of energy in agriculture, water conservancy, transportation, mining, building materials and etc. So their stability and lifetime is very important. Several factors are causing instability in the explosive emulsions. Aging is an inevitable phenomenon that in any case, it will happen. Emulsion explosives during storage, reducing mechanical properties, reducing performance and reducing lifetime, which ultimately leads to spontaneous explosions or the loss of their performance. In this study, factors affecting the stability of explosive emulsions, emulsions aging processes and methods of measuring the lifetime of emulsion explosives are reviewed. Also, Speed of aging processes of materials in the acceleration of environmental conditions, known as accelerated aging tests, pointed out.