LEVEL 6 ENGINEERING LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF181-005

Description

Comparatively little research has explored the influence of mechanical vibrations on energetic materials (or other polymer-bonded composite materials), despite the importance of these materials in defense-related applications.Recently, interest has started to grow, but the vast majority of research has been focused on developing a basic physical understanding, rather than establishing standardized test protocols that are suitable for component- and system-level assessment. To address the aforementioned technical gap, the proposed effort seeks to design well-defined test protocols suitable for assessing the thermomechanical response and potential degradation of polymer-bonded composite materials under sustained mechanical vibration in a wide range of operational environments, as specified by ambient temperature and, where relevant, humidity.The effort will specifically encompass: (1) the design and optimization of a test procedure that enables rapid material characterization under specified levels of vibration loading and operationally-relevant environmental conditions; (2) the design of a small, complementary suite of test hardware that is amenable for use with existing general use test equipment; and (3) the documentation of a standardized test protocol (inclusive of both hardware and associated procedures), which is suitable for experimental validation and ultimately transition to, and implementation by, the United States Air Force and select partners.