Development of an Ultrasonic TNT Slurry Analyzer

Abstract

The goal of this work was to develop, install, and test an ultrasonic instrument for continuous, nondestructive evaluation of TNT mixtures inside a production melt kettle. A first instrument was installed and tested at a pilot-scale melt kettle in building 810 at the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering * Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ. This instrument was then lengthened for installation in a full-sized melt kettle on Line 3a at the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant, Middletown, Iowa (operated by American Ordnance). The instrument includes an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver encased in a stainless steel probe, and the electronics to interpret the measured ultrasonic signals. The instrument provides continuous information on the amount of solid TNT in the solid/liquid (molten) TNT mixture in the kettle. This information will be used to improve the quality, safety and costs of manufacturing TNT munitions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA416245

Entities

People

  • Paul Betts
  • Wes Cobb

Organizations

  • United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Sensors
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Ammunition
  • Analyzers
  • Calibration
  • Detectors
  • Energetic Materials
  • Engineering
  • Frequency
  • Hot Water
  • Manufacturing
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Munitions
  • Production
  • Stainless Steel
  • Steel
  • Ultrasounds
  • Weapons

Readers

  • Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Data Science/Digital Signal Processing.
  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Software Engineering

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics