EN 13938-3:2025

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-december-2025
Eksplozivi za civilno uporabo - Pogonska (smodniki) in raketna goriva - 3. del:
Preverjanje prehoda iz deflagracije v detonacijo pri trdnih pogonskih gorivih za
topove
Explosives for civil uses - Propellants and rocket propellants - Part 3: Verification of
deflagration to detonation transition of solid gun propellants
Explosivstoffe für zivile Zwecke - Treibladungspulver und Raketentreibstoffe - Teil 3:
Bestimmung des Überganges der Deflagration in die Detonation
Explosifs à usage civil - Poudres propulsives et propergols pour propulseurs - Partie 3 :
Vérification du passage de la déflagration à la détonation des poudres pour armes
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: EN 13938-3:2025
ICS:
71.100.30 Eksplozivi. Pirotehnika in Explosives. Pyrotechnics and
ognjemeti fireworks
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EN 13938-3
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
October 2025
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
ICS 71.100.30 Supersedes EN 13938-3:2003
English Version
Explosives for civil uses - Propellants and rocket
propellants - Part 3: Verification of deflagration to
detonation transition of solid gun propellants
Explosifs à usage civil - Poudres propulsives et Explosivstoffe für zivile Zwecke - Treibladungspulver
propergols pour propulseurs - Partie 3 : Vérification du und Raketentreibstoffe - Teil 3: Bestimmung des
passage de la déflagration à la détonation des poudres Überganges der Deflagration in die Detonation
pour armes
This European Standard was approved by CEN on 29 September 2025.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this
European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references
concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN
member.
This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by
translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. EN 13938-3:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Principle . 5
5 Apparatus . 5
6 Preparation and handling of the test samples . 8
7 Procedure . 8
8 Expression of results . 10
9 Test report . 10
Annex ZA (informative) Relationship between this European Standard and the essential
requirements of Directive 2014/28/EU relating to the making available on the
market and supervision of explosives for civil uses aimed to be covered . 11
Bibliography . 12

European foreword
This document (EN 13938-3:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 321 “Explosives
for civil uses”, the secretariat of which is held by UNE.
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an
identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by April 2025, and conflicting national standards shall be
withdrawn at the latest by month year April 2025.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
This document supersedes EN 13938-3:2003.
a) the document title has been changed from “Part 3: Determination of deflagration to detonation
transition” to “Part 3: Verification of deflagration to detonation transition of solid gun propellants”;
b) in the Scope it has been clarified that the document only applies to solid gun propellants;
c) the normative references have been updated;
d) the Clause 4 “Principle” has been added;
e) the Clause “Apparatus” has been revised and further detailed – Figure 2 has been removed;
f) the Clause 6 “Preparation of test sample” now contains the specifications of the former Clause 5 “Test
sample”;
g) the Clause “Procedure” together with former Figure 3 have been revised - the assembly of the steel
tube and the determination of the length before detonation have been further clarified;
h) the Clause 8 “Expression of results” has been added;
i) the Clause “Test report” does no longer require conformity with EN ISO/IEC 17025 and the
information to be provided has been revised in accordance with the revised procedure;
j) the former Annex A “Range of applicability of the test method” has been removed;
k) the Annex ZA has been updated;
l) the Bibliography has been added and lists, e.g. EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017.
This document has been prepared under a standardization request addressed to CEN by the European
Commission. The Standing Committee of the EFTA States subsequently approves these requests for its
Member States.
For the relationship with EU Legislation, see informative Annex ZA, which is an integral part of this
document.
A list of all parts in the EN 13938 series, published under the general title Explosives for civil uses —
Propellants and rocket propellants, can be found on the CEN website.
Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body.
A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.
According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland,
Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United
Kingdom.
1 Scope
This document specifies a test method for the verification of the transition from deflagration to
detonation of solid gun propellants.
This document applies to solid gun propellants with a particle size of ≤ 8 mm.
This document does not apply to black powder, solid rocket propellants or powder cakes.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 10027-1:2016, Designation systems for steels - Part 1: Steel names
EN 13857-1:2025, Explosives for civil uses — Part 1: Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 13857-1:2025 apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
• IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
4 Principle
Solid gun propellants shall not detonate but deflagrate; in order to ensure this, the tendency of a solid
gun propellant to undergo the transition from deflagration to detonation is tested under confinement. A
charge of a solid gun propellant inside a steel tube is ignited; due to the rapid generation of gases by the
deflagrating propellant, the pressure is increased, and the burning front is accelerated so that it can reach
a detonation condition. The transition from deflagration to detonation is shown by characteristic
compression marks on a witness plate. The length before detonation is determined and used as indicator
of the tendency of the solid gun propellant to undergo deflagration to detonation transition (DDT).
5 Apparatus
5.1 Steel tube, that shall be seamless and shall be made from a steel for pressure purposes in
accordance with EN 10027-1:2016, Table 2, and a minimum yield strength of 235 MPa, with an external
+5
diameter of (48,3 ± 0,5) mm, a thickness of (4,0 ± 0,6) mm and a length of 1200 mm. The steel tube
shall be either threaded at both ends or threaded only at one end and closed at the other end, e.g. by a
welded steel plate.
5.2 Screw cap(s), made from cast iron, to be screwed on the open end(s) of the tube (5.1) in order to
close it. It shall be possible to completely screw the screw cap onto the steel tube, so that the end of the
steel tube wall is in contact with the inner side of the screw cap. In case that the steel tube (5.1) is closed
with a welded end plate on one side, only one screw cap is needed. The end plate shall be round with a
diameter equal to the outer diameter of the steel tube (5.1). The thickness of the end plate shall be at least
the wall thickness of the steel tube. It shall be welded to the steel tube around its complete circumference.
5.3 Witness plate, made from lead with a purity of (99,5 ± 0,5) % and with a thickness
of (20 ± 10) mm. Alternatively, layers of lead sheets with a total thickness of (20 ± 10) mm may be used.
The width of the plate shall be (90 ± 10) mm. In case of using a steel tube (5.1) with two screw caps (5.2),
the length of the plate shall be the distance between the two screw caps once screwed on completely (see
Figure 1). In case of a steel tube (5.1) with one screw cap (5.2) and a welded end plate, the plate shall
have at least the length of the remaining length of the steel tube once the screw cap is completely screwed
onto it.
5.4 Hot wire, made from nickel-chromium (80 % nickel, 20 % chromium) with a diameter
of (0,40 ± 0,05) mm and a length of (15 ± 1) mm.
5.5 Rod, made from an inert material, of at least 1 300 mm length, with major length indications at
every 100 mm and minor length indications at every 5 mm and a diameter slightly smaller than the inner
diameter of the steel tube (5.1) to just fit in it.
5.6 Fill plate(s), made from an inert non-metallic material (e.g. polyurethane foam or rubber). The fill
plate(s) shall have a diameter equal to the outer diameter of the steel tube (5.1) used for the test. For each
end of the steel tube to be closed with a screw cap, the thickness of the fill plate shall be the length
between the extremity of the steel tube and the bottom of the used screw cap (5.2). In case that a steel
tube with a welded end plate is used, only one fill plate is needed.
5.7 Steel plate, with a thickness of ≥ 80 mm. The steel plate shall have at least the length and the width
of the witness plate (5.3).
Key
l length of the steel tube (5.1)
s
l length of the witness plate (5.3)
w
wf width of the fill plate (5.6)
1 hot wire (5.4)
2 screw cap (5.2)
3 fill plate (5.6)
4 steel tube (5.1)
5 witness plate (5.3)
6 steel plate (5.7)
NOTE  The thickness of the steel plate is not shown in proportion.
7 test sample
Figure 1 — Test setup with steel tube with two screw caps
5.8 Insulation tape.
5.9 Conditioning chamber, capable of maintaining the temperature (20 ± 5) °C.
5.10 Electric energy source, capable of supplying an electric current of 8 A (36 V DC).
5.11 Balance, capable of weighing up to 5,1 kg to the nearest 1 g.
5.12 Length measuring device, capable of measuring a length of at least 1,3 m and readable to the
nearest 1 mm.
5.13 Drilling machine, capable of drilling holes with a diameter of 1 mm.
5.14 Time measuring device, readable to the nearest 1 s.
5.15 Calliper, capable of measuring a length up to 50 mm readable to the nearest 0,1 mm.
6 Preparation and handling of the test samples
Take two test samples of each (5 ± 0,1) kg of the solid gun propellant to be tested. The test samples shall
be kept in the conditioning chamber (5.9) at (20 ±
...