The Novel Usage of Nitrocellulose as a Propellant of 5.56 mm Bullet

Gun powder is predicted to be more expensive in relation to the world oil shortage crisis in the future. However, cellulose (generic chemical formula (C 6 H 10 O 5 ) is the carbohydrate that makes up the main structure of plants. It is more economical especially for countries with a lot of natural resources and rain forests like Malaysia. The finding of the study reveals the capability of nitrocellulose as gunpowder. In this research, a comparison of the same mass of nitrocellulose and gunpowder is made to find out which propellant produce longer distance and greater impact. The main objectives of this study are to find out the performance and capability of nitrocellulose extracted from Rhizophora apiculata compared to gunpowder in terms of velocity, calorific value of bullets and kinetic energy produced. The result shows that the nitrocellulose has better performance than gun powder. The new application of smokeless gun powder ensures troops especially snipers hardly being detected by enemy and at the same time improves safety and security level.