Thermal History of Ordnance - A Colorimetric Aid during Storage and Transit

The Army’s goal is to develop a family of thermally responsive materials to record and visually indicate the environmental exposure history of ordnance and associated items while in storage and during transit. Temperature extremes can degrade their performance, render them ineffective or result in catastrophic events that impact mission success or soldier safety. InnoSense LLC (ISL) will demonstrate a range of materials integrated on application-specific platforms. The devices will offer functional benefits that include: (1) reduced procurement cost, (2) long-term operational life and reliable performance at temperature extremes of Army relevance, (3) materials that visibly indicate current and past history of temperature events, (4) ease of application and adhesion to metallic or plastic surfaces, (5) cost-effectiveness, (6) UV light tolerance, and (7) application specific device footprint. Phase I investigation has been proposed to demonstrate the feasibility and identify candidate materials for down selection. Phase II and Phase III goals have been outlined to expedite transitioning this technology into DOD’s procurement system. ISL has received a strong endorsement letter from a DOD prime contractor to facilitate expedited product development.