INNOVATIVE IN-BORE MOTION DETECTION TECHNIQUES

MISSION RESEARCH CORPORATION PROPOSES A PHASE I SBIR EFFORT TO INITIATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INNOVATIVE IN-BORE MOTION DETECTION SYSTEM FOR USE WITH TANK AND ARTILLERY BARRELS. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY REVIEWING THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ART IN DETECTION SYSTEMS, DETERMINING THE ARMY REQUIREMENTS FOR SUCH A SYSTEM, AND CONDUCTING THE NECESSARY ANALYSIS AND LABORATORY TESTING AND EXPERIMENTATION TO SELECT A SYSTEM FOR FINAL SCALE-UP AND DEVELOPMENT.WE WILL INITIALLY FOCUS ON THREE POTENTIAL TECHNIQUES: X-RAY TRANSMISSION, LASER INTERFEROMETRY, AND MAGNETIC. EACH OF THESE TECHNIQUES WILL BE INVESTIGATED AND ASSESSED IN TERMS OF THEIR APPLICABILITY FOR PROVIDING AN ACCURATE TRIGGER. PRELIMINARY CALCULATIONS INDICATE THAT AN X-RAY BEAM WITH AN ENERGY IN THE 250 TO 750 KEV RANGE MAY BE ADEQUATE FOR BOTH COMPOSITE AND STEEL BARRELS. TESTS WILL BE PERFORMED USING IN-HOUSE PROJECTILE FIRING SYSTEMS AND SENSORS. THE PHASE I EFFORT WILL CULMINATE WITH THE PREPARATION OF A PROGRAM PLAN AND PROPOSAL FOR THE PHASE II PROGRAM. THE MAJOR FOLLOW-ON TASKS WILL INCLUDE DESIGN AND INTEGRATION OF THE ACTUAL SYSTEM SELECTED. FULL SCALE TESTS WILL BE PERFORMED AND A PROTOTYPE DESIGNED, FABRICATED, AND DELIVERED TO THE PROVING GROUND. SYSTEM SPECIFICATIONS WILL BE DEVELOPED.