EVALUATION OF THE MK 14 MOD 0 ACTUATOR

The purpose of this evaluation has been to determine if the delay actuator Mk 14 Mod 0 is a satisfactory component for use in the bomb fuze Mk 257 Mod 0 and to determine if it passes the general specifications for ordnance of this type with regard to safety and reliability. Some actuators were subjected to rough handling and surveillance tests so that comparisons could be made between the input sensitivities, delay times, and outputs of conditioned and unconditioned samples. The results of these tests indicate that the actuator was unaffected by rough-handling treatment but becomes inoperable when subjected to more than seven days of temperature and humidity cycling MIL-STD-304. There were no instantaneous firings in the entire lot, but both high and low temperature samples showed a tendency toward slightly longer delay times than the max specified time of 2.00 sec. The only failures in the lot were from a sample subjected to 14 days of temperature and humidity cycling MIL-STD-304, which is a more severe test than the actuator is expected to encounter. Author