The EDA project Insensitive Munitions & Ageing

Authors:

  • Elisabeth Bemm

Publish date: 2013-12-31

Report number: FOI-R--3759--SE

Pages: 52

Written in: English

Keywords:

  • LOVA propellant
  • effect of ageing
  • NL007
  • NL008
  • determination of mechanical
  • strength
  • cracking pressure method

Abstract

EDA-IMA is an EDA-project where the impact of ageing on the low sensitivity properties of different energetic materials that are included in IM is studied. The aim of this project is to develop surveillance methods for these energetic materials if shown to be needed and suggest a methodology to predict for how long time the initial IM-properties of the munition could remain. The work reported on here is the results from work packages 2 and 3(WP 2 and 3) where the ageing properties of and surveillance methods for different energetic materials have been studied. FOI has chosen to study the ageing behaviour of the two LOVA propellants NL007 and NL008 based on RDX, NC and CAB. This report contains the results from different analyses of propellant samples subjected to forced ageing at a simulated age between 0 and 20 years. The results from these analyses indicate that the propellant grains might become brittle at ageing and thereby crack at high pressure burning. A qualitative application of the cracking pressure method in vented bomb analyses is suggested as a possible surveillance method to be studied further.