L-294 The Effect of Ageing on IM Response

Insensitive Munitions (IM) tests are typically performed on new, freshly manufactured, munitions. With age, the properties of energetic materials (EM) may change, with a potential risk of modifying the response of the munitions to IM tests. Studies have been conducted within the past 15 years, independently or in cooperation within international collaborative programs of work, to investigate the effects of ageing on the IM response of munitions. The present report aims to collect and summarize these studies in one single report. The findings from these studies were then cross-analyzed in order to identify the impacts of ageing on the IM signature of munitions. Whenever possible, the results obtained at the munition level were related to the changes having been identified at the EM level. It was observed that except for a few exceptions, the changes in the properties at the EM level after ageing had globally no detrimental impacts on the IM signature at the munition level. Ageing trends have been identified and organised by EM category but they are based on a limited set of EM and munitions that were tested under a limited set of EM & IM tests, and under a limited set of ageing conditions. The analysis of the gaps in IM versus ageing studies led to recommendations to guide future studies on the effect of ageing on the IM response.