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<title>Shellite (explosive)</title>
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<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Shellite (explosive)</span></span>
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<p><b>Shellite</b> (known as <b>Tridite</b> in US service<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) is an explosive mixture of <a href="Picric_acid" title="Picric acid">picric acid</a> and <a href="Dinitrophenol" title="Dinitrophenol">dinitrophenol</a> or picric acid and <a href="Hexanitrodiphenylamine" title="Hexanitrodiphenylamine">hexanitrodiphenylamine</a> in a ratio of 70/30. It was typically used as a filling in <a href="Royal_Navy" title="Royal Navy">Royal Navy</a> armour-piercing shells during the early part of the 20th century.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2></div>
<p>Shellite originated after <a href="World_War_I" title="World War I">World War I</a> as a development of lyddite (picric acid). During the war, lyddite-filled, <a href="Armour-piercing" class="mw-redirect" title="Armour-piercing">armour-piercing</a> <a href="Shell_(projectile)" title="Shell (projectile)">shells</a> had been found to be shock-sensitive, with a tendency to prematurely detonate upon impact rather than after penetrating the target's armour plate.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Shellite was less sensitive, and also had the advantage of a low <a href="Melting_point" title="Melting point">melting point</a>, that allowed it to be easily melted and poured into shell casings during manufacture.<sup id="cite_ref-Zukas_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Zukas-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The first trials of shellite took place in 1921, when the British <a href="Monitor_(warship)" title="Monitor (warship)">monitor</a> <a href="HMS_Terror_(I03)" title="HMS Terror (I03)">HMS <i>Terror</i></a> experimentally fired different types of <a href="BL_15_inch_Mk_I_naval_gun" class="mw-redirect" title="BL 15 inch Mk I naval gun">15 inch (381 mm) shell</a> at 500-yard (460 m), point-blank range against the surrendered German battleship <a href="SMS_Baden" title="SMS Baden">SMS <i>Baden</i></a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Zukas_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Zukas-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
</p><p>During <a href="World_War_II" title="World War II">World War II</a>, Shellite continued to be used in naval shells. It was used in the British <a href="Disney_bomb" title="Disney bomb">Disney bomb</a>, a type of concrete-piercing bomb.
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Legacy">Legacy</h2></div>
<p>Shellite-filled munitions may still be encountered in the <a href="Shipwreck" title="Shipwreck">wrecks</a> of sunken <a href="Warships" class="mw-redirect" title="Warships">warships</a>. They are considered hazardous as, over time, picric acid will react to form <a href="Crystal" title="Crystal">crystals</a> of metal <a href="Picrate" title="Picrate">picrates</a>, such as iron picrate. These crystals are extremely shock sensitive and it is recommended that wrecks that contain shellite <a href="Munition" class="mw-redirect" title="Munition">munitions</a> not be disturbed in any way.<sup id="cite_ref-allbright78_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-allbright78-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The hazard may reduce when the shells become corroded enough to admit <a href="Seawater" title="Seawater">seawater</a> as these materials are <a href="Water-soluble" class="mw-redirect" title="Water-soluble">water-soluble</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-allbright78_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-allbright78-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>
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<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>
<dl><dt>Citations</dt></dl>
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<li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Meyer <i>et al</i>, p.417</span>
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<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Preston et al, p.83</span>
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<li id="cite_note-Zukas-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Zukas_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Zukas_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Zukas et al, p.38</span>
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<li id="cite_note-allbright78-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-allbright78_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-allbright78_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Albright, p.78</span>
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<dl><dt>Bibliography</dt></dl>
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</style><cite id="CITEREFAlbright2011" class="citation book cs1">Albright, Richard D. (2011). <i>Cleanup of chemical and explosive munitions : location, identification and environmental remediation</i> (2nd ed.). Norwich, N.Y.: William Andrew. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>978-1-4377-3477-5</bdi>. <a href="OCLC_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="OCLC (identifier)">OCLC</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/770664959">770664959</a>.</cite></li></ul>
<ul><li><cite id="CITEREFMeyer,_RodolfKohler,_JosefHomberg,_Axel2008" class="citation book cs1">Meyer, Rodolf; Kohler, Josef; Homberg, Axel (2008). <i>Explosives</i>. John Wiley and Sons. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>978-3527616343</bdi>.</cite></li></ul>
<ul><li><cite id="CITEREFPreston,_AntonyJordan,_JohnDent,_Stephen2007" class="citation book cs1">Preston, Antony; Jordan, John; Dent, Stephen (2007). <i>Warship</i>. Naval Institute Press. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>978-1844860418</bdi>.</cite></li>
<li><cite id="CITEREFZukas,_JonasWalters,_William_W.Walters,_William_P.2002" class="citation book cs1">Zukas, Jonas; Walters, William W.; Walters, William P. (2002). <i>Explosive Effects and Applications</i>. Springer. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>0387955585</bdi>.</cite></li></ul></div><!--htdig_noindex--><div><div class="zim-footer">
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