Integration of Innovative, Safe Methods of Low-G Activation of Munitions

The objective of the proposed efforts is the development of novel methods to design gun-hardened inertial initiation devices that can be readily integrated into reserve batteries and initiation trains and that can satisfy the requirements of activation when subjected to low-G setback accelerations of the order 10-20 G for 100-150 msec (all-fire condition) but do not activate when subjected to accidental high-G accelerations of the order of 5,000-20,000 G for 1 or more msec. The proposed novel inertial initiation device concepts are scalable to various reserve battery sizes, particularly small and low power reserve batteries that are particularly suitable for integration in reserve batteries of shoulder-fired munitions, terrain shaped munitions, missiles, and rockets. The proposed inertial initiation concepts eliminate the need for onboard electrical power and are immune to EMI and EMP. The proposed innovative inertial initiator concepts are simple in design and can be manufactured at relatively low cost with expected reliability of the order of 99.9% with 95% confidence level as required for munitions applications. The proposed concepts use materials and components that can ensure a shelf life of over 20 years.