Nano devices and concepts for condition-based maintenance of military systems

There is a continuous need for the Department of Defense (DoD) and its associate weaponry supply organizations to consistently evaluate the usability of weapons that exhibit deteriorative characteristics over a period of time. Along the same lines, enhanced condition-based maintenance evaluation procedures are necessary to mitigate the risk and reduce the cost of catastrophic failure of varying inventories of military systems. One significant area of research is the verification of the existence of sufficient concentrations of propellant stabilizer in the motor of stored missiles. Results from developed apparatuses can help collect degradation information to establish indicators that the missile’s double-based solid propellant is still functional after long-term storage. Other mechanisms are being developed for the assessment of degradation in gun barrel rifling. The research outlined in this paper summarizes the Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, & Engineering Center’s (AMRDEC’s) investigative approaches relative to the use of spectral-optical and acoustical methodologies for detecting deteriorations in both propellant and the apparatus that engages munitions. A spectral-optical sensing approach is presented that is based on distinctive light collecting optical fiber –based developments designed to detect the concentration of propellant ingredients. The use of diagnostic acoustic sensing mechanisms is delineated to include the use of commercially available transducer-based readers to collect information that is indicative of the distance that acoustic waves travel through weaponry components. In collaboration with several AMRDEC industry and academia supporters, this paper outlines sensing methods that are under consideration for implementation onto weapon systems. Conceptional approaches, experimental configurations, and laboratory results are presented for each initiative. Cost-savings and improved weaponry health monitoring capabilities are expected to derive from each sensing mechanisms.