Developing Insensitive Munitions (IM) Modeling and Simulation Capability for Large Rocket Motors

The Phase I SBIR will deliver Analog Rocket Motors that simulate the configuration of large MDA rocket motors (e.g., the AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) and Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI)) for IM testing of propellants and mitigation technology. The M&S computational methodology developed during Phase I provides an engineering solution to designing technology to allow propellant combustion gases to vent in a pressure balanced manner during fast or slow cookoff (FCO/SCO) reactions, thus providing non-propulsive Burn (Type V) reactions. Finally, FCO and SCO tests of the Analog Rocket Motors will establish the reactions of HTBP and HTPE propellants in identical configurations and demonstrate whether vent designs (i.e., size, location and material) developed using our M&S methodology can prevent unacceptable reactions.