Response of Dry Spore Biological Agets and Surrogates to Weapons Environment

The Defense Nuclear Agency hase undertaken several related programs to develop new technologies for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including weapons which disperse dry spore biological agents. These initiatives require an increased understanding of the response o fthese agents and their surrogates to the environments generated by various weapons, including penetrating weapons with high exposive fills and weapons containging agent neutralization contaminants. recent experiments suggest that these environments can cause substantial damage to spores but do not clarify the damage mechanisms. Thsi proposal addresses (1) the development of models for the separate effects of thermal and mechanical loadings on spores, (2) the initial development of models with expanded capabilities, including the effects of combined thermal, mechanical, and chemical attacks, and (3) the design of experiments to fill gaps in the current data base on these effects. The expanded odels will be developed and the experimental program will be conducted during Phase II.