Dr. Hendrik Radies
Rheinmetall Weapon Ammunition
Heinrich-Ehrhardt-Strasse 2, 29345 Unterluess, Germany
hendrik.radies@rheinmetall.com
1
20151
Influence of Ageing on the Properties of IHE
Dr. Hendrik Radies, Dr. Almuth Kessler
Introduction
In the last decades, operation areas of NATO partners have drastically changed. The times
when ammunition was kept in air-conditioned bunkers for long-term storage until immediately
before use are over. In practice, the ammunition is often stored in hot regions and in provisional
rooms or containers under various conditions. In some cases, the ammunition may even be
exposed to direct sun radiation without any protection. For example, in the next picture fully
loaded vehicles and practice shooting in Afganistan are shown:
Figure 1: fully loaded vehicles and practice shooting in Afganistan
Accordingly, ammunition may experience extreme weather conditions and temperature loads.
For example, in Kandahar (Afganistan) the typical average temperature in the summer is 86°F
(30°C). Maximum temperatures of over 105°F (40°C) are often measured in June.
To assess the possible impact of extreme climate conditions on the ammunition - especially on
the explosive charge - lab scale samples of two explosive types were aged and afterwards
various investigations were performed with stressed and unstressed samples.
Investigations were carried out with respect to the mechanical properties, the shore A hardness,
friction and impact sensitivity and thermal properties. Additionally, GAP tests were performed.
Samples
Three different high explosives used in tank and/or artillery munition were tested. Two of the
three main charges are polymer bonded explosives based on RDX with an HTPB-Matrix. The
third explosive charge is a TNT based explosive including RDX and NTO called MC-1.
All explosives were qualified as insensitive high explosive according STANAG 4170.
