Tritonal

Tritonal is a mixture of 80% TNT and 20% aluminium powder, used in several types of ordnance such as air-dropped bombs.

The aluminium increases the total heat output and hence impulse of the TNT – the length of time during which the blast wave is positive.

[1] The 87 kg of tritonal in a Mark 82 bomb has the potential to produce approximately 863 MJ of energy when detonated.

TNT production was limited by the availability of toluene which came from coal tar.

[2] Modern tritonal was developed as a cheaper substitute for Torpex and HBX under UWE designation (UnderWater Explosive) before it turned out Allies could produce enough RDX to cover all naval requirements late in WWII.

A 4,000 lb (1.8 t) blockbuster bomb being loaded onto a De Havilland Mosquito of the RAF , circa 1944. The explosive filling of tritonal 80/20 is stencilled on the side, inside the chalked "O" of " Adolf "
A 750 lb (340 kg) M117 bomb . The explosive filling of tritonal is stencilled on the nose