Microcomposite-Based Munitions Packaging System

At the present time, steel containers are used for packaging munitions in the majority of cases. The problems with steel containers are that they are heavy, and that they will contain gases from burning propellants because the propellants cannot burn through the steel before trapped gases cause an explosion. Alternate materials have been considered, including aluminum and composites, but each has its own drawbacks. We propose to solve this problem by modifying a manufacturing process based on microcomposite materials. F&S and its research partners have been working on the development of novel materials and manufacturing methods incorporating tailored material properties using the microcomposite process, wherein small particles of various materials can be preprocessed with high performance polymers to manufacture components in net shape or near-net shape. The properties of the resulting component depend on the combination of the properties of the processed powders used in their fabrication and on the properties and amount of polymer binder used. By building on this demonstrated performance, and then developing methods to scale the process up to larger components, the F&S development team will be able to produce larger tailored components for military munitions packaging as well as other commercial applications. BENEFITS: Integrated, multi-component mixed technology devices resulting from this program would have immediate application in military and commercial markets including munitions packaging and storage, hazardous material packaging and storage, and low-cost, lightweight structures.