APPLICATIONS OVERVIEW OF IHDIVNSWC REACTIVE MATERIALS Carl Gotzmer, Brian Amato and Steven Kim Indian Head Division

Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head, Maryland ABSTRACT Reactive Materials (RM) encompass a wide range of materials in both bulk and structural forms. These include intermetallic, thermic and fuel/oxidizer compositions. They offer a wide range of applications that conventional High Explosives (HE) are unable to address due partly to collateral damage considerations. The applications include biological agent defeat, high explosive (HE) target, countermeasure, enhanced hydro reactivity for underwater warheads, enhanced air blast warheads, material destruction, and manufacturing RM liners for rail guns. RMs have the potential for improving the Insensitive Munition (IM) performance of ordnance particularly with structural RMs. This paper provides an application overview of several of IHDIVNSWCs RM research efforts. Reactive Materials (RMs) are energetic materials consisting of two or more solid-state reactants that together form a thermo-chemical mixture. Typical RMs include metalmetal and/or metal-metal oxide mixtures with and without binders. RMs have higher predicted energy per unit volume than conventional energetics and can provide alternate kill mechanisms besides those obtained for conventional energetics. A critical challenge is the energy management of these materials to produce useful effects. An energy comparison of several conventional explosives and RMs is provided in Table 1. Table 1. Energy Comparison

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REACTIVE MATERIAL ADVANTAGES Two main benefits of RMs are greater energy and greater energy management over that of conventional energetic materials. Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis (SHS) reactions deliver greater energy with more efficient pathways to energy delivery and more energy per unit volume than conventional explosives. Examples of SHS reactions include thermitic metal/metal oxide reactions such as thermite and metastable intramolecular composites (MIC) reactions, and intermetallic reactions which lead to aluminides, borides, and carbides. The shock sensitivity can be easily tailored. Greater energy than chemically induced energy can be delivered by energy saturated media (ESM). Reactions with water and external air are discussed in this paper. Ultra-fine powders provide energy management where the energy release rate can also be tailored. The use of ultra-fine powders such as ALEX (aluminum exploded wire), MIC ingredients, and nano-laminates can facilitate energy management. Mechanochemical Synthesis (MCS) is a method of producing the ultra-fine powders with stored energy (energy saturated media). Usually the MCS technique is less expensive and it increases the total energy with increased reactivity. If the larger energy content offered by RMs is not managed properly to release their energy and kill mechanism in the timescale needed, they will offer no advantage. In addition to utilizing an SHS reaction pathway, particle morphology, controlling particle size and porosity described above, system engineering of RM into a weapon system is also important. System engineering of an RM weapon system is needed to design effective ignition schemes and control the stoichiometry of the RM reaction. REACTIVE MATERIAL APPLICATION OVERVIEW RMs offer a variety of application where the use of high explosives and their collateral effects are not desired. Applications include but are limited to the following: Biological Agent Defeat Material Destruction Target Damage Using Structural Reactives o Enhanced After Target Effect o Enhance Blast Effect High Explosive (HE) Target Countermeasure Improved Underwater Explosive Warheads Metal Cutting/Concrete Cutting Propellant/Explosive Additives Reactive Shaped Charge Warhead

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IHDIVNSWC has managed projects related to each RM application. Several of these RM applications are described in the following sections. Biological Agent Defeat Application: Defeating targets containing weaponized biological agents such as Bacillus Anthracis (BA) contained with manufacturing and storage facility by HE warheads is not an effective solution. HE warheads generate a very high but very short thermal pulse and shock pressures that would disperse enough live biological agent to result in severe collateral damage downwind of the targeted facility. These are weapon qualities not desired be for biological agent defeat. An RM that generates a long thermal pulse, low overpressure and biocides will be effective against biological agents. IHDIVNSWC developed a biological agent defeat payload based on the Vulcan Fire intermetallic with an oxidizer during the Agent Defeat Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) Program. The payload is known as the High Temperature Thermal Radiator (HTTR). The HTTR produced flame temperatures above 6,000oF for minutes, and titanium dioxide, chlorine and hydrogen fluoride biocides. The titanium dioxide is activated by ultraviolet light, which is also generated by the HTTR. This combination and synergy of a sustained thermal pulse and biocides has proven to be an effective approach. During the Agent Defeat ACTD, three full-scale tests of the biological kill capability of the HTTR payload was conducted in 2005 by the Air Force Operational, Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 1 (AFOTEC Det 1). The HTTR payload was burned inside a bunker and BA simulant spores injected into the bunker. The tests were heavily instrumented to collect biological spores for viability analysis and to measure target conditions of temperature, pressure and chlorine gas concentration. The test resulted in a demonstration of the HTTRs biological kill performance. Photographs from the full-scale tests are provided in Figure 1. Figure 1. Agent Defeat ACTD Full-Scale Biological Target Tests

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High Explosive Countermeasure Application: RMs have been used for a number of neutralization applications against HE loaded targets where the intent is to defeat the HE material within the target without causing it to detonate. Using an HE to destroy an HE can result in undesired collateral damage effects. The purpose is to minimize the extent of collateral damage to the surrounding environment and personnel while providing a reliable and easily verifiable defeat mechanism. Neutralization using RM is generally manipulated to occur as the result of one of two potential mechanisms, either over pressurization or a burning reaction. Depending upon the desired defeat mode RM formulations can be tailored to perform in a specific way, balancing RM pressure and temperature output. Over pressurization of the target, where the pressure generated by the reaction of the RM is sufficient to overcome the strength of the structure housing the HE, can be achieved with an RM formulated to possess a specifically high pressure output. In this scenario the over pressurization generally occurs within fractions of a second clearing the threat almost instantly. In mines for example the structure may be variable thicknesses of plastic or metal, these variations dictate the violence of the target response. This response, while effective in disabling target functionality still poses a threat to nearby structures and personnel from fragment impact and further it leaves larger quantities of unexploded HE within the vicinity of the event as compared to the burning mechanism. An example of the over pressurization response is shown in the sequence of video captures below in Figure 2 from an RM filled projectile impacting a target. The target itself is blacked out to hide its identity. Figure 2. Example of an RM Reaction with an HE Target

In contrast an RM may also be formulated to create extremely high temperature regions within the target. The HE within the target, when exposed to the temperature stimulus can allow for ignition of the material in the target which under the proper conditions can propagate into a controlled burn of the entire fill of HE. The advantage with this response is twofold in that the burning reaction will not necessarily cause the target to explode reducing collateral damage concerns, but also when effective, it will consume most or all of the HE. There are though some drawbacks in that the response takes longer to occur, with larger targets taking as much as 20-30 minutes to consume the material. Further there is still a hazard in that during the burning process the target may reach a point at which it could still transition to a deflagration and subsequently to a detonation posing a comparable hazard to the threat itself. Also the nature of the burning process, it is speculated, requires that the mode of delivery of the RM payload
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into the target must also create sufficient damage to the explosive fill at the point of impact in order for the burn to propagate. This may require some added complexity in projectile design. IHDIVNSWC has developed several RM delivery approaches, both independently and in collaboration with other Research & Development organizations, including ARDEC and ONR. Through IHDIVNSWC efforts, demonstrations of RM capability in neutralizing an array of explosively loaded targets have been successful and continue to develop new applications as needs are identified. Material Destruct Application: IHDIVNSWC has developed methods to destroy materials using RMs. To ensure destruction of materials, a sustained thermal pulse and low overpressure is desirable. High overpressure may result in dispersal of materials targeted for destruction. Using an HE is effective is in destroying a target structure but would be inadequate to ensure that the materials located inside a target is effectively rendered unusable or destroyed. An example of RM tested for this purpose is the Vulcan Fire intermetallic, which was also used for biological agent defeat. The Vulcan Fire has been tested in caves, closed chambers and a burn barrel. The Vulcan Fire does not require oxygen to react so it well suited for materials located in an oxygen limited environment such as a cave. Photographs of Vulcan Fire tests are provided in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Vulcan Fire Material Destruct Tests VF in Burn Barrel VF Cave Test Open Air Burn

Underwater Explosive Warhead Application: Underwater explosives with enhanced underwater bubble and shock performance would provide additional yields over current PBXN explosive performance. This would allow development of smaller size weapons that would increase the war fighter defensive and offensive capabilities in Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV), and Strike Force Aircraft. Reduced size torpedo counter weapons in a variety of configurations for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) defensive applications could become offensive weapons with performance gains. Lightweight torpedoes would perform as heavy weight weapons if theoretical performance gains are realized. The performance gains is in terms of additional shock and/or bubble energy. The
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approach to obtaining increased in energy output is to use the surrounding sea water as a reactant (oxidizer). Previous attempts to react metal carried in an explosive composition with surrounding water have failed. Presently the aluminum in an underwater explosive composition reacts only with water produced as a detonation product and not with surrounding water. Obtaining the reaction of the metal fuel with the surrounding sea water requires novel formulations and ultra-fast mixing (fuel/water) concepts not previously tried. If the RM/water reaction is completed within a few microseconds of the primary detonation, it could augment shock impulse. For a RM/water reaction to enhance bubble energy, its reaction must last a few tens of milliseconds. Reacting an RM with water rapid enough to enhance shock and/or bubble energy of the primary detonation of the explosive driver is a challenge. To address this challenge requires the use of very fine particle sized RM and system engineering of novel RM/Explosive charge configurations. IHDIVNSWC has investigated combining explosively driven ultra-fast mixing of RM (aluminum) with water. Several RM/explosive charge configurations were evaluated in IHDIVNSWCs underwater (UNDEX) explosive facility (see Figure 4). The test measured the pressure and maximum bubble radius of the RM/explosive reaction. These initial tests indicated that the RM/water reaction was fast enough to increase shock impulse and bubble energy. Photographs from the UNDEX tests are provided in Figure 4.

Figure 4. IHDIVNSWC UNDEX Test Photographs

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Structural Reactives Application: Structural reactives are consolidated RMs that have densities and material strength properties great enough to form a structure and are capable of releasing their energy to augment target damage. Their energy is released by a process involving explosively driven and impact heating, breakup and reaction with ambient oxygen. The reaction is similar to a fuel/air explosion (FAE). Structural reactives allow for greater energy content to be carried by a weapon by replacing inert structures with one that reacts with surrounding oxygen to augment target damage. Structural reactives include polymers containing a metal, and pressed metal powders. Density can be increased by adding a dense metal such as Hf (13.31 g/cc) and W (19.3 g/cc). If the structural RM density approaches steel (7.8 g/cc), warhead casings could be replaced with a structural reactive. Structural reactives can increase target damage in two ways. First, a structural reactive designed to only breakup into reactive fragments during explosive launch can release its energy due to the impact heating and breakup on the target. As illustrated in Figure 5, a reactive fragment will penetrate a target and breakup into finer particles. These finer particles are heated during the breakup and impact the target interior, where they react with the ambient oxygen. Fragment velocities of several thousand feet per second are required. As illustrated in Figure 6, another approach is for a structural reactive to breakup into finer particles during explosive launch and react immediately with ambient oxygen to increase blast pressure. This reaction would resemble a FAE. Structural reactives offers a hazard classification advantage. In their consolidated form, these structural reactives would be highly insensitive to impact, friction and electrostatic discharge. Through the normal course of hazard classification testing, they offer the potential to be classified as an inert. Figure 5. Reactive Fragment
REACTIVE FRAGMENTS

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Figure 6. Structural Reactive for Enhanced Blast

ENHANCED BLAST WARHEAD CASING

SUMMARY In conclusion, RMs are adaptable to a variety of applications that can be incorporated into existing formulations or used in a stand-alone mode. A unique feature of RM kinetics is that they can be tailored in their reaction output. For volume limited weapon systems, RMs can augment the energy released by a weapon if its energy release is effectively managed.

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