Smart Shelf Life Tag for Ordnance Health Monitoring

This Phase II SBIR project will develop and field test a wireless"Smart Shelf Life"tag for ordnance which provides real time"go/no-go"status of propellant condition without special training or complex equipment. The tag integrates a new propellant health monitoring (PHM) sensor for nitrocellulose-based propellants developed in the Phase I effort and a passive wireless tag for monitoring the degradation of ordnance propellant. The tiny sensor is a surrogate of the propellant itself and is made of inert propellant components and conductive fillers so that it changes resistance as the propellant components age. Sensor resistance data obtained during accelerating aging allows correlation with propellant stabilizer depletion for selected propellants. The wireless tag, containing the PHM sensor is bonded externally to ordnance devices so that it"sees"a similar environment as the propellant. A wireless field reader queries the tag on the ordnance device and correlates sensor resistance with propellant aging data and displays remaining life of the propellant. Alternatively, PHM sensors are incorporated into environmental propellant health monitoring systems to provide objective propellant aging status for existing and proposed propellant health monitoring systems. Approved for Public Release 14-MDA-7739 (18 March 14).