ENIG, in collaboration with SRI International (Menlo Park, CA), has been selected and awarded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Munition Directorate (RW), Eglin AFB, to develop a modeling methodology with predictive and inferential capabilities to address the mechanical limits of structural reactive materials (SRMs) using subcritical mechanical material responses, (i.e. pre-reacted state).
ENIGs computational toolkit, SRM-eVALTM, in conjunction with material fragmentation tests, will provide AFRL and it’s commercial partners with an end-to-end modeling capability, grounded in the microstructural response of the constituent materials, to address impulsive loading of reactive structural material systems.
“This effort will develop models and design tests that will provide both fundamental and fragmentation data for SRMs”, noted ENIG President, Eric N. Enig. “Models and tests developed for this effort will allow the Air Force to use results obtained from nondestructive testing techniques to predict fragmentation size and shape distribution from impulsively loaded SRMs”, he added.
ENIG draws upon its extensive experience in characterizing ballistic damage in ceramics, polymers, composites, metals, and combinations of these material classes. Citing a Letter of Support from DARPA’s Defense Sciences Office (DSO), Enig noted that the potential impact on civilian and military applications is unlimited.
“Impacted industries would potentially include advanced munitions, aviation, and automotive, and the technologies developed here could be integrated with existing software to address numerous design challenges facing the DoD and its performers,” said Enig.
(For more information, contact media@enig.com.)