Innovative designs for reliable Electro-Explosive Ordnance Devices

Issues with electro-explosive device (EED) initiators on interceptors have caused the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to investigate novel ideas to increase EED reliability. TRI/Austin proposes designing, fabricating, and testing novel electro-explosive devices utilizing magnetic saw initiators to increase reliability by incorporating a single point, insensitive failure mechanism. TRI/Austin will team with the Institute for Advanced Technology at the University of Texas at Austin, home to a world class pulsed power supply for prototype testing, and partner with Battelle, Inc. to develop a health monitor for the prototype. In Phase I, simulations and experiments will be conducted to develop magnetic saw bridges initiated with a specific electrical action and inherently insensitive to external stimuli. Specimens with and without artificial defects replicating reliability issues will be tested in Fire and No-Fire situations to examine the effects the defects cause. Discharge pressure will be recorded and matched to MDA specifications. Phase II will involve teaming with an EED manufacturer, evolving the laboratory initiator into a field-ready prototype, and developing a health monitor for the prototype. Research into magnetic saw initiators will develop insensitive, reliable, low cost EEDs for use in interceptors that ensure long service life, even after being in storage for years.