Replacement of First Fire Composition in M127A1 Ground Illumination Signal

摘要

A study was conducted to replace the first fire composition in the groundillumination signal. The original first fire composition contained tetranitro carbazole, a sole source material, and barium nitrate, a toxic material. Program costs were minimized by choosing a presently used first fire composition as a replacement. A data base of such compositions was created. It was used to pick candidate replacement compositions. The compositions were loaded into illuminant assemblies and tested statically. Results from this test showed that Starter Mix (SM) XXV was the best candidate composition. It was loaded into complete signals that underwent ballistic testing. Signals with SM-XXV met all applicable Military specification requirements. The success of the program justified the approach of choosing a currently used first fire composition.