IMPROVEMENT OF SMALL SCALE TESTING FOR EXPLOSIVE SENSITIVITY

THE OBJECTIVES OF PHASE I ARE TO DETERMINE HOW WELL THE SMALL SCALE TESTS CURRENTLY USED FOR SCREENING EXPLOSIVES, AND THE MODELS THAT DESCRIBE EXPLOSIVE BEHAVIOR IN THE SMALL SCALE TEST AND IN THE FULL SCALE MUNITION, CAN PREDICT THRESHOLDS OF EXPLOSIVE REACTION IN THE OPERATIONAL FULL SCALE MUNITION. FULL SCALE MUNITIONS WILL BE STUDIED TO DETERMINE THE CRITICAL MODE(S) OF EXPLOSIVE REACTION THAT WILL DICTATE WHICH KINDS OF SMALL SCALE TESTS WILL PRODUCE THE PERTINENT EXPLOSIVE SENSITIVITY DATA. DISCRETE ELEMENT MODELS OF THE SMALL SCALE TESTS AND THE OPERATIONAL MUNITION WILL BE APPLIED IN ORDER TO DEFINE THE EXPLOSIVE REACTION THRESHOLD COMMON TO BOTH SITUATIONS. AREAS OF PREDICTIVE DEFICIENCY WILL BE IDENTIFIED FOR A PHASE II IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM.