INTEGRATED EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE REACTIVE MATERIAL CANDIDATES FOR LOW COLLATERAL DAMAGE

摘要

The growth in recent years in the frequency of Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) has necessitated developing and refining warhead systems that reduce potential collateral damage. The scientist has the challenge of refining the warhead design to increase lethality near the point of initiation while reducing lethality and/or injury further out. This paper will discuss in broad terms the results generated from a matrix of tests looking at relative rates of reaction of several candidate reactive materials explosively launched in an arena setting. Data gathered from the tests include digital high-speed video from multiple vantage points, results from the post-test examination of various target types, as well as measurements taken as part of careful characterization of candidate fragments beforehand and close inspection of fragments recovered from each test. The paper also discusses a numerical model developed at ARDEC that simulates and predicts the degree to which the various reactive material candidates undergo consumption while in flight after being explosively launched. Numerical modeling and simulation technique is proposed as a great tool that helped better understand the experimental results from the arena tests and one that may be used in the future for cheaper and faster candidate fragment selection process. A general comparison will be offered between the empirical data and modeling predictions.