Reinforced Boosted Penetrator Formulations

A variety of types of warheads have been envisioned for boosted penetrator warheads for the JDAM upgrade program to defeat a variety of targets.  Insensitive compositions are indicated in this type of system since the warhead will be boosted to speeds of 2000 2500 feet per second prior to impact with hardened structures or rock.  A persistent problem experienced in  PBXs in these weapons has been explosive rebounding in the weapon cavity wherein the explosive responds elastically creating internal wave fronts rebounding from impact stresses.  This creates waves, eddies, cracks, and can cause premature or unreliable detonation.  TPL proposes to enhance the survival and resistance of the explosive composition in these warheads through the use of reinforcing media in the formulation of the composition.  This will decrease the elasticity of the formulation and reinforce the integrity of the billet through the high velocity penetration.  TPL will formulate and perform testing and hydrocode calculations on inert simulants of a chosen warhead composition and compare results to those of the original formulation.  A preferred formulation modification will be manufactured along with the original formulation in a small scale and both will be tested for energetic output. BENEFIT: Reinforcement of polymeric structures with various media including fibers and spherical or granular materials has been a commercially available concept for many years.  This is not a novel concept with any real potential for commercialization outside of military applications.  Unlike commercial formulations, few PBX formulations that include reinforcing media have been developed or tested.  The use of reinforcing media in energetic formulations in these applications will have the benefit of increasing reliability and, possibly, the performance of the munition.  Since TPL does not have an energetics manufacturing facility, future endeavors would involve coordination of efforts with an established manufacturing facility and licensing of the concept to that entity.