TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Weapons

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-201 Conventional Strike Weapons Program

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: Develop a reactive material which produces dramatically different explosive blast output and/or Gurney energy release dependent on shock input.

DESCRIPTION: Some energetic polymers mixed with metal fuels have shown differences of 30% in blast output based on input stimulus. An order of magnitude increase in blast is desired. Focus should be on developing new reactive materials; understanding the underlying chemistry and physics. The material should produce little or no output when subjected to incident shock pulses with a peak pressure of nominally 150 kilobar (kbar). When subjected to shock pressure of 300 kbar for a duration of ten or more microseconds the material should show a significantly higher increase in blast and fragmentation.

PHASE I: Develop and demonstrate initial concept design of reactive material.

PHASE II: Optimize reactive liner material formulation and development of computer simulation tools adequate for system level implementation of the reactive material into various warhead configurations. Perform subscale proof of concept tests.

PHASE III: Use simulation tools developed in Phase II to determine optimal liner configuration and apply the liner to the inside of full-scale government furnished warhead cases. Support full-scale tests at a government facility. Finalize and transition technology to appropriate platform.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The reactive material may have applications as the liner for oil field shaped charge perforators.

REFERENCES:
1. Cooper, Paul W., (1996). Explosives Engineering. New York: Wiley-VCH

2. Carleone, Joseph (Ed.) (1993). Tactical Missile Warheads, Volume 155 Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Inc.

3. Zukas, Jonas A., & Walters, William P. (Eds.). (1998). Explosive Effects and Application. Springer-Verlag.

4. Mclain, Joseph Howard, (1980). Pyrotechnics. Franklin Institute Press

KEYWORDS: Warhead; Detonation; Deflagration; Blast; Fragmentation; Gurney

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between July 20 and August 16, 2010, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting August 17, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

However, proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the DoD's SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS), in which the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing until the solicitation closes. All proposers are advised to monitor SITIS (10.3 Q&A) during the solicitation period for questions and answers, and other significant information, relevant to the SBIR 10.3 topic under which they are proposing.

If you have general questions about DoD SBIR program, please contact the DoD SBIR Help Desk at (866) 724-7457 or email weblink.