Operated by the Los Alamos National Security, LLC for the DOE/NNSA

Los AlamosNational Laboratory

EST.1943

U N C L A S S I F I E D

TEAM MEMBERSBrian Bartram, Mark Byers, Steve DiMarino, Jim Esparza, Lee Gibson, Rick Gustavsen,

Ben Hollowell, Ruben Manzanares, Bob Mier, John Morris, Chuck Owens, Adam

Pacheco, Tim Pierce, Ramon Saavedra and Larry Vaughan

WX – 9 GUN WORKING GROUP

LA-UR-13-24501

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 2

Mission Statement

Support world class experimental effort focused on physics at extreme conditions

Provide high quality data, analysis and model development to:• Directed stockpile (NNSA Programs) 65 %

• Joint Munitions Program

• Department of Defense (WFO, ONR, etc.)

• Department of Homeland Security

• AWE, CEA

• External companies (TT)

Ensure personnel safety is paramount

Ensure constant readiness of equipment and facilities

Develop high efficiency proactive maintenance program (living document)

Work towards improvement of gun technology

Promote technical knowledge transfer.

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 3

Motivation (room for improvement)

Off normal events at LANL 40mm catch tank, large bore powder gun, Residual pressure in 2-stage AR, Hydraulic pumps,

gun control system

Off normal events elsewhere (lessons learned) SNL, LLNL, NTS, . . .

Technical knowledge transfer Key personnel at 2 stage gun facilities

Inventory Prevent unanticipated shutdowns and delays

Documentation Engineering diagrams/drawings, equipment manuals, operating procedures, software

documentation

Need for material and design pedigree W-14

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 4

Investing in our future Collaborations

• Sandia’s gun facility• LLNL • JASPER facility at the Nevada Test Site

• John Glenn NASA facility in Cleveland

• NASA White Sands

• AEDC (Arnold Air Force Base), Jack Daniels Distillery? Internal Peer reviews of IWD and Procedure for all WX-9 Guns External peer review with LLNL including walk down at TA39-69 Cross Training at Chamber 9 (expand training to B69) Interior Ballistics course (Carmel CA) Major maintenance on the ARLGG Major TA39-56 Gas Gun rebuild and upgrade

• Catch System (fire mitigation)• Control, Interlock and Pressure System

Participating in Aero-ballistic Range Association meetings

Chamber 9 upgrades

• Floor support structure

• Control system

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 5

Experimental Capability (diversity for customer needs)

72mm Gas Gun at TA 40-9

50mm Two-Stage Gas Gun at TA 40-9

40mm Powder Gun at TA39-69

28mm Two-Stage Powder Gun at TA39-69 (ARLGG)

51mm Gas Gun at TA39-56

41mm Powder or Gas Gun at TA55

12.5mm (50 Cal.) Gas Gun at Argonne

12.5mm (50 Cal.) Powder Gun at TA 40-8

40 mm Powder Gun that is mobile

41 mm Powder Gun that is mobile

LANL Future Involvement PRAD gun, MST single stage, MST low pressure

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 6

Experimental Capability (diversity for customer needs) TA 40-9 Single Stage Gas Gun (Explosives, Polymers, Organics, Liquids)

• Performance - 72mm, 80 m/sec to 1.5 km/sec, Helium breech

• Diagnostics – In-situ magnetic gauges, VISAR, PDV, PZT pins, Diodes for velocity/triggering, ORVIS, streak cameras, Raman spectroscopy

Two-Stage Gas Gun at TA 40-9 (Insensitive high explosives)• Performance - 50mm, 600 m/sec to 3.6 km/sec, Helium in breech and pump tube

• Diagnostics – In-situ magnetic gauges, VISAR, PDV, PZT pins, Diodes for velocity/triggering, ORVIS, streak cameras, Raman spectroscopy

• Other - second breech that can be used with propellant

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 7

Experimental Capability (diversity for customer needs) Powder Gun at TA39-69 (Metal EOS, DU)

• Performance - 40mm, 200 m/sec to 1.9 km/sec, propellant driven

• Diagnostics – PDV, VISAR, Dynamic X-Ray

Two-Stage Powder Gun at TA39-69 (High Pressure EOS, DU)• Performance – 28mm,1.7 km/sec to 7 km/sec (5 Mbar), propellant driven, He or H2 1st stage

• Diagnostics – PDV, VISAR

Gas Gun at TA39-56 (Low Pressure EOS, compaction, strength, DU, lead)• Performance – 51mm, 80 m/sec to 900 m/sec, Helium or Argon

• Diagnostics – PDV, VISAR

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 8

Experimental Capability (diversity for customer needs)

Powder or Gas Gun at TA55 (Trans-uranics, Metal EOS)• Performance - 41mm, 150 m/sec to 1.5 km/sec

• Diagnostics – VISAR, PDV

IMPULSE Mini Gas Gun at Argonne (Coupling to light sources)• Performance - 50 Cal., 100 m/sec to 1.4 km/sec

• Diagnostics – X-ray, PDV, VISAR

Powder Gun at TA 40-8 (Ballistics special applications, soon to be in service)• Performance - 50 Cal., expected velocity range is 870 m/sec to 930 m/sec

• Diagnostics - VISAR, PDV, Streak Camera, High Speed Framing and Phantom Camera

Mobile Powder Gun (PRAD, special applications at firing sites)• Performance – 40mm, propellant driven

• Diagnostics – VISAR, PDV, Other

Mobile Powder Gun (TA55 qualifying)• Performance – 41 mm, propellant driven

• Diagnostics – VISAR, PDV, Other

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 9

Observed Benefits Better working relationship between technicians and staff members

Increased communication between technicians

Improved documentation (formalized engineering documentation)

• material specifications• Testing history• Component pedigree

Increased efficiency

Increased awareness and less complacency

Developed the capability to measure breech pressure on the 2-Stage Powder Gun.

Developed the capability to measure Piston velocity on the 2-Stage Powder Gun.

Enhanced maintenance scheduling and planning.

Improved operating procedure for the 2-Stage Powder Gun.

Team members have increased knowledge of our gun systems.

Elimination of many safety hazards.

Assessment of gun performance via several gun codes• Four codes are being used to assess/understand gun operation

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 10

TA39-56 Gas Gun

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 11

Future Goals

Improved Shock physics capability for the Nation Reliability, responsiveness, and versatility

Gain recognition as a complex wide resource regarding gun ops SME responders for safety significant and off normal events Expertise in gas gun operation Support the development of future gun designs (e.g. Mini Gun)

Consolidation of gun capability to TA40 (from TA39) New gun building facility (DEOS)

Increase involvement in national/international shock physics communities (ARA, HVIS, APS, . . .)

Solicit collaboration and participation from gun users throughout LANL and DOE complex

U N C L A S S I F I E D Slide 12

Metals shock physics focus areas include EOS, damage, phase transformations, and powder compaction.

• EOS data for metals•Solid-solid and solid-liquid phase transitions• Kinetics of phase transitions• Pyrometry for shocked temperatures

• Dynamic compaction and damage•Solid metals – grain effects and loading conditions•Granular materials (metallic oxides)

• Diagnostic development•Radiometry, Reflectometry, IR imaging, dynamic XRD and PCI

ARLGG

40 mm powder gun

LBPG

U N C L A S S I F I E D

FY12 Funding Profile: $5M+• NNSA DP ~$2M+• NNSA Other ~$1.5M• LDRD $1.6M• DoD $0.6M• DHS $0.3M• JASPER, DPE

Two stage gas gun (ca. 1991)• 15,000 psi He • <1 km/s to 3.6 km/s• 2” diameter launch tube• Designed for PBX 9502 initiation

Single stage gas gun (ca. 1970s)• He/Ar, WAB or DD • <0.1 km/s to 1.5 km/s• ~3” diameter launch tube• Established reactive burn in PBX 9501

Two-stage large bore gas gun

Expertise at Chamber 9 is focused on explosives initiation, organic material EOS, shock-driven chemistry, and diagnostic development.

• Sole data for reactive burn model development at LANL & AWE• Numerous EOS for weapons materials and replacements, supporting LEPs and new concepts• Small-scale integrated experiments• LDRD funding over last 5 years• Unique diagnostic in U.S. – electromagnetic gauging

U N C L A S S I F I E D

Opportunities and challenges

WX-9 is continuing to drive dynamic compression science for the Nation.

• Time-resolved diagnostics coupled to shock drives• X-ray diffraction and phase contrast imaging at Advanced Photon Source• Raman and absorption spectroscopies on guns and laser drive platforms• Spatially-resolved velocimetry (ORVIS, mPDV, line VISAR)

• Dynamic diamond anvil cell experiments at intermediate strain rates• Non-1D, long time duration experiments on explosives• Flexible shock drive platforms

• Large bore, high velocities• Complex samples and loading conditions

• Powders, gases, liquid and “deadened” explosives, weapons materials• Isentropic compression at Sandia Z machine• Off-Hugoniot, double shock, shock-release (reshock)

Challenges include: • Maintenance of complex systems and anticipation of component replacement• Long-term staffing of complex operations• Programmatic drive to pay by number of shots