Propellant aging is a critical factor to monitor when estimating the remaining solid rocket motor service life when critical mechanical property limits are reached, the motor violates safety requirements and should no longer be used. Current lot testing diagnostics protocols lead to costly premature disposal of valuable assets and can significantly reduce the warfighter inventory to counter existing and emerging threats. In response, nou Systems Inc. has begun developing a propellant structural health monitoring (SHM) system capable of quickly and accurately reporting mechanical state and estimated remaining service life of each individual motor via non-destructive means. Our advanced non destructive inspection (NDI) tool achieves accurate results via the integration of independent material characterization methods already demonstrated on both elastic and viscoelastic materials. In Phase I, we will assemble a breadboard system and conduct controlled proof of principle experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of our approach. In Phase II, we will confirm our tools proficiency in reporting propellant state on both aged and baseline motor systems on a variety of propellant formulations of interest to our Navy Sponsors. These efforts will culminate with the development of a functional prototype sensor unit to be delivered to Navy Personnel for evaluation These technological advancements will become a steppingstone towards a low-cost built-in sensor that continuously monitors and reports propellant state.
Benefit: Missile exchange, inspection, and restocking processes cause a significant logistical burden to all branches of the Armed Forces and ultimately translates to significant loss of available inventory to continental US and forward-deployed combatant commands. Our technology will become a key asset to Navys Depot-Level checks Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) resulting in reduced operational costs, turnaround times, and increased safety and reliability of rocket launch operations. Beyond military applications, there is a very attractive market for mature non-destructive evaluation tools for commercial rocket motors.
Keywords: Propellant Mechanical Properties, Propellant Mechanical Properties, ultrasound, Non-Destructive Measurement, mobile sensor, Material Degradation, propellants, structural health monitoring system
