ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO INVESTIGATING ALTERNATIVE GREEN PRIMARY EXPLOSIVES

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. INVESTIGATING ALTERNATIVE ‘GREEN’ PRIMARY EXPLOSIVES John Hirlinger US Army ARDEC Mounted & Dismounted Infantry Munitions Group Armament Engineering & Technology Center 973 -724 -6498 jhirling@pica. army. mil 39 th Annual Guns & Ammunition Conference 1

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Program Goal • Develop environmentally friendly alternatives to replace Lead and other Heavy Metals, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), & Carcinogens while maintaining ammunition safety and performance requirements 2

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. ENVIRONMENTALLY UNFRIENDLY COMPOUNDS USED IN MEDIUM CALIBER MUNITIONS HEAVY METALS Antimony Sulfide Barium Nitrate Depleted Uranium Lead Azide Lead Styphnate Cadmium Nickel Acetate Chromium VII Lead VOCs 2 - Butoxyethanol N-methyl 2 -Pyrrolidone Ethyl Alcohol Ethyl Benzene Methyl Isobutyl Ketone Xylene Toluene Loctite Formaldehyde SUSPECTED CARCINOGENS Methylene Chloride Diphenylamine Dibutylphthalate Nitroglycerine 3

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Sponsor/Customer • Strategic Environmental Research & Development Program (SERDP) – Dept of Defense’s (Do. D) corporate environmental R&D activity Ø Partnered with Dept of Energy (Do. E) + Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Identifies & develops environmental technologies directly related to defense mission accomplishment – Providing funding • SERDP Web Site – www. serdp. org 4

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Multi-Year Priority Sequencing of Green Activities & Program Funding FY 02 Start FY 03 Start Planned 5

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Green Medium Caliber Munitions Program Organization = FY 02 = FY 03 * * * Denotes SEED Program 6

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Environmental Focus ü Heavy Metal Free Primers (Percussion/Electric) ü Lead Free Detonators/Initiators • Thermo-Plastic Elastomer (TPE) Propellants • Organic Super capacitors 7

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. PRIMERS Conventional Primer Composition Lead Styphnate Barium Nitrate Antimony Sulfide Aluminum PETN Tetracene YIEL DS Carbon Monoxide Nitrogen Carbon Dioxide Water Alumina Antimony Sulfide Barium Oxide Sulfur Dioxide Hydrogen Lead Barium Hydroxide Sulfer Monoxide Lead Sulfide. . . and other traces Green Primer Composition MIC + ADDITIVES Aluminum Molybdenum Trioxide Ethyl Cellulose Calcium Resinate PETN BTATZ YIEL Hydrogen Carbon Monoxide Carbon Aluminum Alumina Molybdenum Aluminum Oxide Aluminum Nitride. . . and other traces DS Environmentally acceptable medium caliber percussion primer yields no toxic by-products in comparison to conventional primer compositions 8

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. WHAT’S MIC ? METASTABLE INTERMOLECULAR COMPOSITES Super-thermite mixture of Aluminum + Oxidizer Applying Nano-Technology (nanometer sized particles) Reactant clusters in atomic-scale proximity Tailored Energetic Tunable Ignition Reduced Toxicity / No Heavy Metals Nano Aluminum behaves different than micron size + 2 Al + + Mo. O 3 Al 2 O 3 Mo Heat 9

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. MICs RELEASE MORE ENERGY THAN HIGH EXPLOSIVES DH 0 1 2 volume 3 (kcal/cc) 4 5 6 7 MICs Al/Cu. O Al/Mo. O 3 Al/Teflon Al/KCl. O 4 EXPLOSIVES PBX 9502 DH TNT volume D H mass OCTOL HMX 0 1 D H mass 2 (kcal/g) 3 10

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Primer Output Flame Test Comparisons For Primers Al/Mo. O 3 -based MIC Primer 11 Standard PVU-1 A Primer (Lead Styphnate)

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) of MIC East Nano Aluminum Powder 2. 5 nm thick Al 2 O 3 passivation layer 12

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Percussion Primer Formulations Tested • M 793 TP-T Ballistic Test Series (Mar 04) • • M 115 w/o booster MIC +10 w/ booster pellet (BKNO 3) MIC w/ booster (BKNO 3) Primer Mid Case Chamber Press (psi) Req’t < 72, 000 psi Muzzle Velocity (m/s) Req’t = 1, 100 m/s Action Time (msec) Req’t < 6. 0 msec Standard M 115 (7 rounds) 64, 443 1, 100 4. 225 MIC + 10 w/o booster (5 rounds) 61, 772 1, 100 102. 328 MIC + 10 w/ booster (5 rounds) 61, 210 1, 107 4. 632 MIC w/ booster (4 rounds) 59, 968 1, 107 5. 026 Acceptable action times! 13

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Electric Detonators Current + _ ^^^^^^ Lead Styphnate New _ + ^^^^^^ DAHA Transfer Charge – Lead Azide Output Charge (RDX, HMX) NEW INITIATING MIX NEW TRANSFER CHARGES Output Charge (RDX, HMX, CL-20) DAHA = Cyclophosphazene Silver 5 - Nitrotetrazolate 14

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. STATIC FIRING RESULTS 15

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Current Stab Detonator Design and Composition Length = 0. 4 - 1. 3 cm Metal cup Metal or paper seal Output Charge: R DX, HMX Dia. = 0. 2 0. 65 cm NOL-130 Stab mix: Lead styphnate Barium nitrate Lead azide Tetrazene Antimony sulfides Transfer charge: Lead azide 16

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. GREEN STAB DETONATOR New Transfer Charge Candidates: ENTA C 5 NT 5 -AZIDO-3 -NITRO[1, 2, 4]-TRIAZOLE, CU 1, 5 -DIAMINOTETRAZOLE, PERCHLORAMIDES New Stab mix: Sol-gel booster coated Nanolaminate Components: Aluminum, Ferric oxide, titanium, zirconium Output charge 17

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Characterization Tests – Friction SERDP & NSWC Compounds Samples were dried at 65ºC for >2 hrs and stored in desiccator until run unless otherwise indicated Julius-Peters Small BAM 18

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Characterization Test – Impact SERDP & NSWC Compounds Samples were dried at 65ºC for >2 hrs and stored in desiccator until run unless otherwise indicated Ball Drop Method, Bruceton Analysis 19

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Characterization Test – Strong Ignition (10 kpsi Screening) Samples were dried at 65ºC for >2 hrs and stored in desiccator until run unless otherwise indicated 20

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Characterization Test – Strong Ignition Samples were dried at 65ºC for >2 hrs and stored in desiccator until run unless otherwise indicated 21

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Expected Payoff • Development of environmentally friendly formulations and manufacturing processes • Significantly reduce generation and release of toxic materials • Reduce or eliminate range contamination • Positive impact on ammunition life cycle cost 22

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Green Medium Caliber Ammunition Program Summary q Environmental issues are numerous and diverse q Systematic approach developed to address specific issues on Do. D wide system level q Elimination of toxic heavy metals being addressed q Plan in place to address all contaminants in major ammunition components 23

ENERGETIC MATERIALS CO. Chemical Acronyms/Names • (ENTA)1, 1 -(N, N-ethylenedinitramino)-3, 3, 5, 5 - tetraazidocyclotriphosphazene • (C 5 NT) Copper(II) 5 - nitrotetrazolate • (DAHA) 1, 1 -diamino-3, 3, 5, 5, 7, 7 - hexaazidocyclotetraphosphazene • (RDX) – Royal Demolition Explosive – cyclotrimethylene-trinitramine • (HMX) – High Melting Explosive – cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine • (CL 20) - Hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane 24