IGNITION CONCEPTS FOR INSENSITIVE GUN PROPELLANTS

THE SIGNIFICIANT ADVANTAGES OFFERED BY LOVA PROPELLANTS MAY NEVER BE REALIZED IF SATISFACTORY SOLUTIONS TO THEIR INHERENT IGNITION PROBLEMS (E.G., POOR FLAMESPREAD, POOR IGNITABILITY AT LOW TEMPERATURES, ETC.) ARE NOT QUICKLY FOUND. RECENT IGNITION/COMBUSTION STUDIES CONDUCTED AT VERITAY SUGGEST THAT SUFFICIENT CHAMBER PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES CAN BE GENERATED BY EXISTING PRIMERS TO ACHIEVE FLAMESPREAD EQUIVALENT TO THAT OF CONVENTIONAL PROPELLANTS. TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF APPLYING PRINCIPLES OF PRIMER MIX OPTIMIZATION TO ACCENTUATE THE GENERATION OF HOT PARTICLES, EXISTING 25MM IGNITERS/PRIMERS WILL BE MODIFIED AND A MATRIX OF TESTS WILL BE PERFORMED UNDER REALISTIC 25MM SINGLE-SHOT CONDITIONS DURING THE PHASE I EFFORT. SHOULD THESE TESTS REVEAL A NEED, A SECONDARY IGNITION PULSE MAY BE APPLIED TO GIVE THE IGNITER A "ONE-TWO PUNCH." AT THIS TIME, HOWEVER, WE DO NOT BELIEVE THIS SECONDARY IGNITION PULSE WILL BE REQUIRED. FOLLOWING DEMONSTRATION OF THE FEASIBILITY OF MODIFYING EXISTING 25MM IGNITERS/PRIMERS IN SUCH A WAY AS TO MAKE THEIR ENERGY OUTPUT CONSISTENT WITH THE IGNITION REQUIREMENTS OF THE NEW LOVA PROPELLANTS, SAFETY CHARACTERIZATIONS WILL BE COMPLETED AND WORK WILL PROCEED TOWARD LARGER CALIBER DESIGNS.