Publications (Technical Reports)

ARM is to be a "toolbox" of empirical and analytical models dedicated to ammunition safety. The intent is to provide a toolbox that includes a variety of initiation models and an optimization framework in order to parameterize models.

The ageing of materials in munitions as reported in the open literature is reviewed within the framework of materials engineering. The focus is on polymeric materials and molecular solids encountered in energetic materials.

During the 2018 MSIAC Improved Explosives and Munitions Risk Management (IEMRM) workshop, it was recognized by the community that low violence reaction types such as a burn on one side, and high violence reactions such as detonations on the other side, are relatively well understood.

An increasing number of munitions now show less violent responses than detonation in cook off or impact scenarios. The detonation of a warhead typically leads to well reproducible fragmentation effects.

The Improved Explosives and Munitions Risk Management (IEMRM) workshop was held from 10 to 14 September 2018, in Granada, Spain.

An analysis has been conducted to develop a method to estimate critical loading density conditions that, after the deflagration ignition of the munitions in a magazine, will lead to transition to detonation of these munitions.

STANAG 4382 Slow Heating, Munitions Test Procedures has been reviewed and updated by the AC/326 SG/B Slow Heating Custodial Working Group. As part of this process, questions arose as to guidance for thermal soaking and maximum testing temperature.

A probabilistic analytic model of initiation for the STANAG 4496 Insensitive Munitions (IM) Fragment Impact (FI) test was developed. The deterministic Jacobs-Roslund (JR) detonation initiation model was augmented to include impact point offset and fragment tilt against a curved munition case.

Defects in energetic materials or in other materials used in munitions systems are often a cause for concern. This includes voids, cracks, and foreign materials, as well as chemical, physical and or mechanical properties that are outside design tolerance specifications.

Accidental initiation of munitions via the heating of bridgewires by radiofrequency (RF) radiation (i.e. HERO) is well understood; far less work has been undertaken to determine how bulk energetic materials (cased or uncased) directly respond to exposure to RF radiation.