Electrically Responsive Energetics for Variable Yield Weapons

ABSTRACT:This Phase II SBIR is the continuation of DSSPs Phase I work into the development of their novel solid state energetic material into an extremely insensitive, non-toxic, and electrically controllable explosive as a replacement for current Mk 82/83/84 bomb fills. This additional insensitivity does not sacrifice performance, as chemical performance modeling shows that an aluminized version of DSSPs energetic, dubbed HIPEX, can meet or exceed the performance of PBXN-109 currently used in the GMLRS variant M31. Phase II efforts aim to test the extent to which HIPEX can be actively primed using in-situ low energy electrical impulses to increase sensitivity and explosive performance of the energetic material. This will create an explosive that has the invaluable characteristics of a 1.3 or 1.4 material throughout manufacturing, transportation, storage, and installation, while having the ability to switch its performance capabilities to that of a 1.1 detonable material just before deployment. Phase II work will include a research and development effort into the electrically controlled priming of HIPEX, sub-scale system sensitivity and performance testing, as well as the development of a scalable physics-based, shock-detonation model of HIPEX in system scale configurations through collaboration with Illinois RocStar LLC.BENEFIT:Variable yield, low hazard, high performance explosives would be a game changer for DOD. These low hazard explosives will allow safer manufacturing and transportation of bomb systems. Since these explosives are also variable yield, this should lead to reducing collateral damage. Commercially, variable yield explosives are most useful in the oil field stimulation and mining.