Accession Number:

ADA455743

Title:

Progress Towards a Benchtop Energetics Capability (BRIEFING CHARTS)

Descriptive Note:

AFOSR Meeting paper

Corporate Author:

AIR FORCE RESEARCH LAB EGLIN AFB FL MUNITIONS DIRECTORATE

Personal Author(s):

• Fajardo, Mario E.
• Lewis, William K.

Report Date:

2006-06-01

Pagination or Media Count:

19.0

Abstract:

The incorporation of nanometric sub-micron size metal fuel and oxidizer particles into energetic materials is a promising approach to increasing significantly the systems-level performance of munitions. We propose to exploit the phenomenon of laser driven shock initiation of energetic materials to enable bench-scale testing of initiation mechanisms and energy-release reaction kinetics of nanometric energetic materials using methods which utilize a minimum of often rare and expensive energetic materials, and which routinely yield rapid repetitive energetic events. Direct laser initiation of energetic materials involves a complicated combination of shock, electronic, and thermal effects which are very difficult to relate to real-world chemical-explosive-driven initiation processes. We will use laser driven flyer plates to decouple the laser photon flux from the energetic material, reducing interference from direct electronic and thermal initiation mechanisms, thus greatly simplifying matters. The technology for producing laser driven flyers is advancing rapidly, thanks to efforts in a number of laboratories around the world. We will exploit as much of the state-of-the-art as feasible, including the use of advanced numerical simulation techniques to model our benchtop experiments. We will adapt the nanoshock target array approach, pioneered by Dlott and coworkers, for generating repetitive energetic events. In this method thin films of energetic materials are prepared on a transparent substrate target coupon which is rastered mechanically through the fixed focus of a pulsed laser beam. Our novel adaptation will include the laser driven flyer plate intermediate and a target-in-vacuum capability. The expansion of reaction intermediates into vacuum will quench subsequent reactions and preserve these intermediates for spectroscopic and mass spectrometric interrogation.

Descriptors:

• *METALS
• *MATERIALS
• *ENERGETIC PROPERTIES
• *OXIDIZERS
• THERMAL PROPERTIES
• THIN FILMS
• TRANSPARENCE
• WORKSHOPS
• BENCH TESTS
• MASS SPECTROMETRY
• SHOCK TUBES
• EXPANSION
• TARGETS
• LASERS
• LASER BEAMS
• FUELS
• PARTICLES

Subject Categories:

• Physical Chemistry
• Lasers and Masers
• Ammunition and Explosives

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE