Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (SICBM) Rocket Motor Sympathetic Detonation Study
Abstract
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Propulsion Directorate at Edwards Air Force Base California utilized two surplus Small Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (SICBM) rocket motors in a sympathetic detonation test with a spacing of 15 feet (4.6 meters) between them (typical max spacing in storage bunkers and transport trailers) to gain technical value from assets deemed undesirable for test firing. The Stage 1 SICBM motor containing 19,200 lbs (8709 kg) of detonable Hazard Division (MD) 1.1 propellant was used as the donor motor and the Stage 3 SICBM motor containing 3040 lbs (1379 kg) of the same propellant formulation was used as the acceptor motor in the test. It was assumed that the propellant and rocket motor community would be interested in observing how large the differential can be between detonation by shock-to-detonation transition (SDT) initiation values and by lesser shocks that might occur with operational scenarios of nearby detonation shocks or flight fallbacks. In addition, observation of fragment throw/impact data from modern, carbon composite, case rocket motors could help determine fragment hazards from such events. Such data might provide the modeling and simulation community information that could be coupled to rocket motor hazard codes for predicting rocket motor responses to shock and fragment stimuli. This paper outlines the sympathetic detonation test conducted at AFRL, to observe interactions between a detonating Stage 1 Small ICBM rocket motor and a nearby Stage 3 Small ICBM rocket motor.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 26, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA423229
Entities
People
- Claude E. Merill
- Daniel F. Schwartz
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory