Multifunctional Materials for Increased Lethality Munitions

MATSYS proposes to develop high density and high strength structural reactive materials (SRMs) to provide increased lethality and impose superiority on contested and expanded battlefield. The objective of this project is to develop a novel iron (Fe)-based SRM with suitably high density, strength, and energy release to enhance warhead performance upon detonation or high-velocity impact for long range precision fire (LRPF) munitions. The specific intent is to fabricate structural surrogates for steel components of the munition body to maintain or enhance lethality for systems with reduced payloads. The proposed SRM, consisting of several elements or compounds and capable of participating in an energetic (exothermic) chemical reaction, will radically alter weapons effectiveness, providing an asymmetric advantage in defeating a variety of targets in highly contested spaces. Our approach will combine our expertise in multi-component alloy design and high energy milling/mechanical alloying (MA) of powder blends with our unique expertise in instrumented-Hot Isostatic Pressing to develop a next generation of tunable high density SRMs. The existence of different powder materials will allow for tailoring of the mechanical and reactive properties of the material to meet the requirements for material density, strength and energy density.