A Survey of the Methods of Testing the Electrostatic Sensitivity of Solids

Abstract

During the processing of ordnance items involving explosive or pyrotechnic materials, accidental explosions or fires are occasionally reported which are attributed to electrostatic discharges. To augment studies being conducted at Frankford Arsenal, a survey of literature and visits to other governmental and nongovernmental agencies were made to obtain information related to electrostatic considerations of solids which are explosive or inflammable. The findings include a description of potential problems and the measurement of their magnitude, along with a description of the various designs of equipment employed and methods used to conduct tests. Although the approaches and methods differ as influenced by materials and applications considered, in general, solids that cannot be initiated by electrostatic discharges with energies less than 0.015 joule are considered safe to handle.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1969
Accession Number
AD0866472

Entities

People

  • William E. Perkins

Organizations

  • Frankford Arsenal

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Counter IED
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Capacitance
  • Capacitors
  • Diagrams
  • Electricity
  • Electrodes
  • Explosions
  • Explosives
  • Geometry
  • High Voltage
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Munitions
  • Ordnance Laboratories
  • Resistance
  • Standards
  • Static Electricity
  • Test Equipment

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Plasma Physics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design