Slow Cook-Off Insensitive Munitions Solutions for Solid Rocket Motors

A major MDA thrust area is the development of highly reliable technologies for Insensitive Munition (IM) compliance for Large Diameter Solid Rocket Motors (SRM) subjected to slow cook-off. Federal law requires all munitions to be as IM compliant as is practicable. Currently no solution exists for slow cook-off that reduces the reaction violence or allows the large diameter solid rocket motors to achieve only a burning reaction. Systima’s design concept thermally activates a case venting system for large diameter rocket motors during IM Slow Cook-off. The case severance/venting system provides the necessary initial venting to significantly reduce internal pressure thus reducing chances of violent slow cook-off reactions. Systima will partner with ATK-Tactical Propulsion and Controls Division (Elkton, MD) and Corvid Technologies to design, build, and test the SRM Case Severance System. ATK will provide technical information for system integration and representative motor hardware for concept demonstration tests including a live motor slow cook-off test per MIL-STD-2105C. Corvid will provide design requirement and performance estimates based on a developmental model that predicts the thermal state throughout a solid rocket motor versus time in a slow cook-off environment and how that affects the eventual build up to reaction in the propellant.