O-006 A Cooperation Programme for the Characterisation of New Energetic Materials

June 1993

Andrew J. Sanderson (Energetic Materials)

Un programme en coopération en vue de caractériser de nouvelles substances énergétiques

It is obvious frorn the literature that there have been significant developnients in the synthesis of new ingredients for use in explosives and propellants in recent years. New ingredients offer the attractive possibility of designing munitions with increased performance and reduced vulnerability. However, making thxransition of new ingredients frorn initial synthesis to incorporation in munitions, seems to have been a rather ad hoc and inefticient process even when it has occurred wholly within a single nation. This was scarcely acceptable when realistic new materials were thin on the ground but in the present situation with a large number of new candidate ingredients and shrinking budgets more efficient transitioning is required. Some of the problems that have been experienced in the past arise from there having rarely been a systematic approach to organising and then communicating the results of relevant chemical research to potential downstream users of those results. NIMIC is seeking to improve the current situation by coordinating a collaborative effort to characterise new ingredients. The programme is providing comprehensive data sheets to NIMIC member nations covering all of the new ingredients that are presently being investigated and have a reasonable probability of seeing service. As more new candidate ingredients are synthesized, these will also be incorporated in the prograrnme. The information covered in the data sheets includes physical, mechanical and chemical data as well as performance and safety characteristics. An indication of the ingredients availability is also included. In this presentation a description of the programme will be made together with some of its most recent results.