Introduction to Explosive Ordnance Systems
Presenter: Dr John Davies
1-3 May 2024
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Duration: 3 Days | Price: $2,970
Course Aim
The Introduction to Explosive Ordnance Systems Course provides attendees with an understanding of explosive ordnance systems, including warheads, rocket motors, pyrotechnics, and propellants. The course runs over three days providing attendees with an understanding of explosive chemistry, explosive properties, warhead design, terminal effects, rocket motor propulsion prediction, explosive ordnance safety, and fuzing designs. No prior military or technical knowledge is required.
Course Outline
Introduction: Explosive ordnance systems overview | Usage and trends | Capability requirements
Chemistry of Explosives: Organic chemistry | Oxygen balance | Thermo chemistry of explosives
Explosive Properties: Physical properties of typical explosives and propellants | Calculating power indices | Figures of insensitivity | Velocity of detonation.
Explosive Manufacture: Contemporary manufacturing techniques | quality assurance issues | mixed compositions | casting, pressing and extrusion techniques.
Blast Effects: Estimating peak and dynamic pressures, damage mechanisms | underwater explosions | cratering | altitude effects.
Fragmentation Effects: Estimating fragment energy | terminal effects modelling | probability of kill estimates.
Other Warhead Types: Shaped charge warheads | Explosively formed projectiles | Enhanced blast weapons.
Propulsion Systems. Rocket motor equations and predictions | Propellant system analysis and design.
Pyrotechnics. Heat, smoke, gas, illumination, and delay systems | Countermeasures applications.
Fuzing mechanisms: Contact, ambient, time-based and proximity systems | Probability of Detection and False Alarm Rates.
Safe and Arming Units. Out of line detonators and shutter mechanisms | Safety design criteria.
Insensitive Munitions Criteria: Test objectives | Design criteria | Current trends
Systems Integration: Explosive ordnance system integration | Life cycle analysis | Storage handling and transport.
Case Studies.
Course Material
The following resources will be provided to attendees of this course
A PDF copy of the Course Notes and PowerPoint presentation slides.
An Electronic Copy of the Textbook “The Chemistry of Explosives” 4th Edition, by J. Akhavan