engleski

Application of Mossbauer spectroscopy in the monitoring of corrosion of deployed landmines and unexploded ordnance ammunition in Croatia

According to United Nations sources between 60 (lower limit) and 110 (upper limit) millions of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines are currently scattered around the world. Croatia is in the group of the most affected countries in the world facing the problem of deployed landmines and unexploded ordnance ammunition. Landmines endanger innocent people, women and children long after the conflict has ceased or the fighting moved elsewhere.The present work demonstrates application of Mössbauer spectroscopy in monitoring the corrosion of landmines and unexploded ordnance ammunition. Selected results obtained on a sample of unexploded artillery projectile are presented. The corrosion kinetics, were monitored up to 1 year. Mössbauer spectra were recorded at 300, 90 or 4.2 K. XRD and FT-IR spectroscopy were used as complementary techniques. The Mössbauer spectra of the atmospheric rust showed only one quadrupole doublet at 300 K whereas at 4.2 K the superpositions of two sextets, corresponding to lepidocrocite and goethite, were observed. Corrosion in natural water showed the presence of magnetite as an additional oxide phase. As a reference test, corrosion in doubly distilled water was also monitored. A superparamagnetic behavior of the rust samples was observed. The rust layer formed during atmospheric corrosion was relatively compact. However, in water medium the corrosion rate was high, and a fast delamination of corrosion layers was present. This work indicates that the corrosion of deployed landmines and unexploded ordnance ammunition is expected to create serious problems in demining and their neutralization in Croatia.

Mossbauer spectroscopy. XRD. FT-IR. Corrosion. Landmines

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