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Selection and Final (Type) Qualification of pbxw-128

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45 views18 pages

Selection and Final (Type) Qualification of pbxw-128

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nicolasiung29
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INDIAN HEAD

Selection and Final (Type) Qualification of


PBXW-128 for the EFSS HE Round
Heather Gokee
National Defense Industrial Association Energetics Technology Department (E3)
Insensitive Munitions & Energetic Materials Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center
Technology Symposium 101 Strauss Avenue, Indian Head, MD 20640-5035
2006, Bristol (301) 744-4208 [email protected]
EFSS System Description
• Expeditionary Fire Support System is a U.S. Marine
weapon system for all weather, ground based, close
supporting, accurate, immediate response, lethal
indirect fire
• General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems
(GD-OTS) is the prime contractor
• System is based on the 120 mm rifled-towed mortar
developed by TDA Armaments, fielded in 24 countries.
• Components
– EFSS 120mm rifled launcher
– EFSS prime mover/ammunition supply vehicle
– EFSS ammunition trailer
– 120mm rifled ammunition (HE, Illumination, Obscuration/
Incendiary, Practice)

2
EFSS High Explosive Round Qualification
IM Producibility
Explosive Trade
Energy Qualification
Study
Density Cost

2 Expl.
Candidates
Slow Cook-off
Arena Testing Fragment Impact
Fragmentation
IM Tests
Tests

Expl.
Selection

Expl. EFSS Qual. EFSS & PBXW-128 Final


Production Testing (Type) Qualification

3
EFSS High Explosive Round
• The HE warhead body is ductile cast iron, designed and
manufactured by TDA.
– USMC round uses PBXW-128 IM fill, TDA round filled
with TNT
– Explosive weight = 4 kg
EXPLOSIVE
FUZE BOOSTER BODY OBTURATING RING
BASE OF SHELL

PROJECTILE
WEIGHT

DESIGNATION

EXPLOSIVE
FILL

PROJECTILE
LOT NUMBER

BASE LOT
NUMBER

CHARGE HOLDER
LOT NUMBER

EJECTING CHARGE

FIRING PIN
SPRINGCLIPS
SPRING CLIPS EJECTING
EJECTING
CHARGE PROPELLANT CARTRIDGE FIRING
CHARGE CHARGES
CHARGE CARTRIDGEPIN

4
EFSS HE Round IM Features

• Key IM features in round & packaging


– IM explosive fill, PBXW-128
– Navy Qualified fuze, M767 A1, booster is PBXN-5
– Fuze liner releases in cook-off environments
– Shipping container has blowout panels, reduce
confinement
Blowout
Panels

External View Internal View

5
EFSS High Explosive Selection Study

• Candidate explosives were identified and ranked in late 2004


• Pressed, melt-cast and cast explosives; RDX, HMX and
DNAN (2,4-dinitroanisole) based explosives were considered
– Effectiveness, IM survivability, Safety, Reliability, and
Programmatic Issues
• Caveats
• Material Navy Qualified or within 6 months of being
qualified
• Only changes to the TDA HE warhead explosive fill and
the fuze.
• Fill weight comparable to TNT

6
HE Qualification Data for Top Candidates

Density NOL LSGT Det Vel


Explosive Composition (g/cc) (cards) IM (mm/µsec)
1
PBXN-109 RDX /Al/HTPB 1.65 190 Burn 7.6
2
PBXW-128 HMX/HTPB 1.48 124 Burn 7.9
2
PBXW-114 HMX/Al/HTPB 1.71 156 Burn * 8.15
PBXN-110 HMX/HTPB 1.75 178 8.33
PBXIH-137 RDX/binder 1.5 7.78
TNT TNT 1.61 135 6.9
Comp B RDX/TNT/Wax 1.72 201 8
1BLU-110/111
2NFTUs

*BI test only

7
HE Candidates Selected For Testing
• PBXN-109 (64% RDX, 20% Al)
+ Performance in appropriate range
+ Final Type Qualified as Navy’s primary bomb fill
+ Large production base
+ Density close to TNT
– Potential for shortfall in IM performance

• PBXW-128 (77% HMX)


+ Performance in appropriate range
+ Potential for improved IM performance
– Unproven production/very limited production base
– Lower density
– Unproven reliability/safety in deployed systems

8
EFSS HE Down-selection Testing

• Testing focused in high risk areas for meeting program


requirements
– Lethality
– Insensitive munitions
• Fragment impact
– PBXN-109 borderline, configuration dependent
• Slow cook-off
– Potential for hardware to drive reaction for either fill

• Testing limited to top two candidates

9
EFSS HE Down-select Lethality Test

• Fragmentation Tests conducted by GD-OTS, Rockhill


Testing Facility, in Niceville, FL.

• Lethality for PBXN-109 and PBXW-128 fills is comparable


to existing TNT fill in HE round
– Lethal areas
– Fragment numbers
– Fragment velocities

10
EFSS HE Down-select IM Tests
• National Technical Systems (NTS) in Camden, AR performed
IM testing
FI SCO
PBXW-128 Burn Burn
PBXN-109 Deflagration Burn

• Fragment impact conducted on all-up-round in container with


live warhead, live propulsion, inert fuze
– Aim point = bulk of explosive
• Slow cook-off conducted in container with a live warhead, inert
propulsion, inert fuze
– Double-base propellant would initiate first, potentially
obscuring any warhead differences

11
EFSS HE Down-select Fragment Impact
Warhead and Propelling Charge in Container
• PBXW-128 Burn

• PBXN-109 Deflagration*

*One of the PBXN-109 reactions may be considered a burn

12
EFSS HE Down-select Slow Cook-off Tests
Warhead in Container
• PBXW-128 Burn

• PBXN-109 Burn

13
PBXW-128 Qualification Data
• PBXW-128 selected for EFSS HE round explosive fill
Parameter Value Reference
Composition 77% HMX /HTPB
Advantages Very insensitive: explosively deformable, high
setback survivability
Performance Moderate
Typical Density 1.48 g/cc
TMD 1.51 g/cc
No. 8 Cap Detonation
ERL Impact 38.6 cm RDX: 7.4 cm
ABL Friction >980 lbf @ 8 ft/s
ESD 4.2 joules (No Fire)
NOL LSGT 124 cards/48.8 Kbar Comp B: 201 cards
Det. Velocity 7.973 mm/s @ 1.48 g/cc
Critical Diameter <0.25 inches
Coef. of Thermal Expan. 180 X 10-6 m/m-deg C# to 332 X 10-6 m/m-deg C*
#fullscale in EFSS HE round
*lab scale
14
PBXW-128 Production

• Explosive production has been successfully


transitioned to from IHDIV, NAVSURFWARCEN
Yorktown Detachment to Ensign-Bickford Aerospace
and Defense Co., Graham, KY
• Three sites have produced PBXW-128

15
EFSS HE Round Final (Type) Qualification
Test Plans

Testing Specification/Requirement
Hazard Assessment and Classification NAVSEAINST 8020.8C
Testing/Basic Safety and IM Testing /MIL-STD-2105C
-Combined 28-Day Temperature & Humidity
and Thermal Stability
-Combined Fast Cook-off/External Fire
-Combined Sympathetic Reaction/Stack Test
-Excluding Spall Impact.
Environmental/Durability Safety Tests MIL-STD-810F
Unpackaged Drop MIL-STD-331
Environmental Safety Tests NAVSEAINST 8020.19
/MIL-STD-464A

16
EFSS HE Round Final (Type) Qualification
Test Plans

Testing Specification/Requirement
Shipboard Shock MIL-S-901D
Fuze Safety MIL-STD-1316E
/MIL-STD-331B
Fuze Arming Distance and Double Loading MIL-STD-331C
Gun testing at proof pressure Review by Naval
Acoustic assessment during firings Environmental Health Center
Products of combustion toxicity analysis (NEHC)
Hot gun testing ITOP 4-2-504(3)
Performance Oriented Packaging (POP) Title 49 CFR, Sections
178.603, 178.606 and
178,608
UN Replenishment/VERT Replenishment MIL-STD-648C

17
Selection and Final (Type) Qualification of
PBXW-128 for the EFSS HE Round
Acknowledgements
• Marine Corps System Command for programmatic
direction. Bill Perkins and Lee Jackson of General
Dynamics-Ordnance and Tactical Systems, St.
Petersburg, FL for funding and technical direction.
• Brian Shaffer of Indian Head Division NSWC for
thermal expansion and booster testing.
• Brian Shaffer, Matt Beyard, Robert Hutcheson, and
Wayne Reed of Indian Head Division NSWC for
technical expertise.
• Melissa Walberer and Mike Kenyon of Indian Head
Division NSWC, Yorktown Detachment, for
manufacturing capabilities and expertise.

18

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