Soviet oxyliquite bombs

[Dilandu]

During the early period of Great Patriotic War, USSR have significant troubles with available high explosives. A lot of chemical industry were either overrun by Germans, or evacuated to the East and have troubles reaching intended output.

So when German troops approached Moscow, USSR deployed something interesting; aerial bombs filled with liquid oxygen explosives (oxyliquite).

Essentially they were the ferroconcrete bodies of FAB-100NG and FAB-250NG HE bombs. They were filled with a mesh of dried moss, peat and sawdust. Then the liquid oxygen was poured into bombs, and after the filler was soaked enough, the bomb was sealed. Since the liquid oxygen evaporated quickly, it needed to be done within 3-4 hours before use, otherwise the explosive effect would start to decrease.

Several hundreds of such oxyliquite bombs, mostly of 100-kg variety, were dropped on German troops and communications during Winder 1941. The main advantage of such weapon was, that it was extremely cheap and provided blast effect comparable, or even a bit more powerful, than convention explosives of the same weight. The main disadvantage, of course, was the need to transport large quantites of liquid oxygen to the airfields. It wasn't a problem while fighting was done near Moscow - which have powerful chemical industry, and could easily supply LOX to nearby airfields - but as soon as Germans were pushed back, the logistical problems make oxyliquite bombs unsustainable. Also, the evacuated factories started to work on full productivity, and USSR started to receive chemical components from Allies, so the LOX bombs weren't needed anymore.

 

[publiusr]

That may still have had a role, however small, in making liquid fueled rockets more normal—-since the tech was more widespread with lesser energetics available…

 

[Sgt_Miller]

Are there any kinds of successor designs in the post-war era? Or was the idea abandoned altogether and never brought up again afterward?

 

[Dilandu]

Are there any kinds of successor designs in the post-war era? Or was the idea abandoned altogether and never brought up again afterward?

Seems abandoned; oxyliquite is not significantly more powerful than usual HE's, but much more complex to handle.

 

[Orionblamblam]

Liquid oxygen has been used in the mining industry for a long time. A bucket of LOX is reasonably safe... at the very least, it won't detonate. But you mix that LOX with coal or charcoal, and one briquette is about half the bang of a stick of dynamite. It's cheap and safe, and if you push the plunger on it and something goes wrong and the explosive doesn't go off, all you need to do is wait for a bit and the LOX will evaporate, leaving behind nothing but a bucket or coal that won't spontaneously detonate in the first guys face.

This also works with LOX and asphalt, a fact that makes spots of parking lots and roads that have seen LOX spills dangerous to drive on until the LOC evaporates away.

 

[Dilandu]

Liquid oxygen has been used in the mining industry for a long time. A bucket of LOX is reasonably safe... at the very least, it won't detonate. But you mix that LOX with coal or charcoal, and one briquette is about half the bang of a stick of dynamite. It's cheap and safe, and if you push the plunger on it and something goes wrong and the explosive doesn't go off, all you need to do is wait for a bit and the LOX will evaporate, leaving behind nothing but a bucket or coal that won't spontaneously detonate in the first guys face.

Exactly. As far as I know, though, Soviet 1941 efforts were the only time, oxyliquite explosive was actually put to military use. Albeit there is some Italian oxygen bomb (circa 1942-1943, experimental only), which might also use oxyliquite...

 

[Orionblamblam]

Liquid oxygen has been used in the mining industry for a long time. A bucket of LOX is reasonably safe... at the very least, it won't detonate. But you mix that LOX with coal or charcoal, and one briquette is about half the bang of a stick of dynamite. It's cheap and safe, and if you push the plunger on it and something goes wrong and the explosive doesn't go off, all you need to do is wait for a bit and the LOX will evaporate, leaving behind nothing but a bucket or coal that won't spontaneously detonate in the first guys face.

Exactly. As far as I know, though, Soviet 1941 efforts were the only time, oxyliquite explosive was actually put to military use. Albeit there is some Italian oxygen bomb (circa 1942-1943, experimental only), which might also use oxyliquite...

Here's a 1940 new York Times article about the use of liquid oxygen/carbon for bombs. but since it's behind a paywall, it will probably go unread:
https://www.nytimes.com/1940/03/27/archives/liquid-oxygen-bomb.html


And here's a link to an old film of the same guy from the NYT article detonating a LOX/carbon bomb at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/...ey-with-bomb-designer-news-footage/1270634035

And here's a description of the project for a "Glmite" bomb. The guy behind it, one Lester Barlow, was an employee of the Glenn Martin Company, and tried to sell the concept as a super-weapon that would kill everything in a thousand-yard radius, but the explosion failed to even injure the goats that were gathered around.

https://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/glmite_bomb

 

[Zoo Tycoon]

It’s the pour LOX into some sort of fuel and “seal it up” that’s the scary bit. Entropy remorselessly goes about its business and temperature, hence pressure builds until Hr Rudolf Diesel theory/principle becomes a fact (compression ignition). I bet a pressure relief valve, cunningly set for below the magic kaboom point was considered a luxury item so….. well was not bothered with.

 

[Dilandu]

It’s the pour LOX into some sort of fuel and “seal it up” that’s the scary bit. Entropy remorselessly goes about its business and temperature, hence pressure builds until Hr Rudolf Diesel theory/principle becomes a fact (compression ignition). I bet a pressure relief valve, cunningly set for below the magic kaboom point was considered a luxury item so….. well was not bothered with

Well, since it was a bomb, and ferroconcrete hull was hardly perfectly sealed, I doubt it was a big problem.

 

[Dilandu]

but since it's behind a paywall, it will probably go unread:

For me for sure; thanks to those sanctions I couldn't pay for it even if I wanted (the money transfer is blocked)