Mixture ratios range from 80 percent ammonium nitrate/20 percent TNT, down to 50/50. Amatol 80/20 (used in the Bangalore Torpedo used in the Vietnam War) can be identified on detonation by the white smoke it produces. Amatol 50/50 produces a far darker smoke, though not as dark as produced by TNT alone.
Its color ranges from white to slightly yellow or pinkish brown, depending on the mixture used, and remains soft for long periods of storage. It also absorbs moisture, which reduces its explosive potential. It should not be stored in containers made from copper or brass, as it can form dangerous compounds. It is relatively stable, but may be detonated by severe impact. Mercury fulminate and other high explosives are often used as detonators.
It was invented, and widely used, during the First World War as a means of making the production of TNT go further. Amatol was used in the warhead for the V1 flying bomb, as well as the V-2 rocket.
For anyone familiar with the site Amatol, and later, the wood board Atlantic City Speedway occupied, it is a shock to learn that there had been a large ammunition plant and a supporting town on land that is now covered by mature forest.
This circumstance was dramatically demonstrated in the terrible accident at the Naval Ammunition Depot, Lake Denmark, New Jersey in 1926.
Amatol was designed to load a whole series of shells.
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