L-197 Gun propellant cook-off discussion white paper

This document aims to provide some input for the 2016 science of cook-off workshop in the area of gun propellant.

There is a consensus that the vulnerability of granular propellants is more complex to determine than for consolidated charges. Indeed, the architecture of a propellant bed, and the lack of data makes it a difficult problem to model. In addition, there is a lack of small-scale test available dedicated to gun propellant.

This document contains a state of the art in term of reaction level of propelling charge at the full scale test level when subjected to fast or slow heating. It also identifies the work performed over the years to develop small-scale tests dedicated to gun propellant.

This report also identifies other tests that could be used or adapted to improve the understanding and the prediction of the reaction level under cook-off conditions.

Finally, thermal parameters found in the literature that could be used in models are provided.