Primacord
Brand of detonating cord
Primacord is a brand of detonating cord used in blasting. It was developed in 1936 by the Ensign-Bickford Company. Ensign-Bickford sold their registered trademark for Primacord to Dyno Nobel in 2003. which manufactures it in their Graham, Kentucky factory. The name is also used as a genericized trademark for any detonating cord.
01Description
Primacord consists of a continuous core of PETN, RDX or other high explosive, bound by textile yarns and finished with plastic and wax as waterproofing agents. It is produced in eight strengths:
| Name | Loading g/m (gr/ft) | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Primacord 1 | 1.5 (7.5) | Yellow |
| Primacord 2 | 2.1 (10) | Orange |
| Primacord 3 | 3.2 (15) | Red |
| Primacord 4Y | 3.6 (18) | Yellow |
| Primacord 4R | 3.6 (18) | Red |
| Primacord 5 | 5.3 (25) | Red |
| Primacord 8 | 8.6 (40) | Red |
| Primacord 10 | 10.6 (50) | Yellow |
Primaline is a related product differing principally in having a plastic jacket instead of textile. Primaline is also available in higher loadings, up to 85 g/m (400 gr/ft):
| Name | Loading g/m (gr/ft) | Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Primaline 4D | 3.6 (18) | Orange |
| Primaline 4HS | 3.6 (18) | Clear with blue stripe |
| Primaline 5 | 5.3 (25) | Orange with wax coating |
| Primaline 5D | 5.3 (25) | Orange |
| Primaline 5NF | 5.3 (25) | Yellow |
| Primaline 8D | 8.6 (40) | Orange |
| Primaline 8HS | 8.6 (40) | Clear with black stripe |
| Primaline 10HS | 10.6 (50) | Clear with red stripe |
| Primaline 21 | 21.3 (100) | Clear |
| Primaline 32 | 31.9 (150) | Clear |
| Primaline 42 | 42.5 (200) | Clear |
| Primaline 85 | 85 (400) | Light green |
02Operation
Primacord is initiated with a blasting cap or by a donor line of detonating cord or other high explosive. It detonates along its entire length at a velocity of approximately 23,000 feet (7,000 meters) per second. It is used to create explosive effects and to build reliable explosive charges. It is used in conjunction with other high explosive materials to form charges, including linear charges, capable of near instantaneous results.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Primacord”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
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