Development of Robotics Applications in a Solid Propellant Mixing Laboratory

摘要

Mixing of novel solid rocket propellants in R&D laboratories requires extensive safety precautions due to the explosive nature and, in some cases, unknown hazards of the materials. Current operations including ingredient weighing and prebatching, ingredient addition, on-line monitoring of relevant mix parameters, propellant casting, and cleanup involving elaborate facilities, are very labor intensive, and contain an element of risk to the personnel. Under Contract No. F04611-C0056, KLM has investigated the use of robotics and other automated processing techniques as a means of reducing the cost and improving the safety of operations relating to the AFAL propellant mixing laboratory. To justify the capital outlay and minimize risk for robotic/automation implementation, KLM has considered the implementation of Islands of Automation strategy. This strategy will allow only one process (ingredient weighing, addition and prebatching, propellant mixing, casting and cleanup) at a time to be automated and allows the results to be monitored. KLM believes that all of the above processes are potential candidates to be implemented as Islands of Automation. Robotics, Laboratory Automation, Safety, Labor Savings, Hazardous Materials, Propellant mixing. (MJM)