Publications

A Comparative Study of Two BAM Designs for Friction Sensitivity Testing of Explosives

Phillips, Jason J.; Ching, Mitchell L.

A new commercial design of BAM friction tester that utilizes a programmable servo motor was tested in comparison to the traditional cam-driven model. Displacement and velocity profiles were analyzed for both designs; significant differences were found between the two designs, most notable of which is that the traditional cam-driven unit has plate velocities that can be 50–75 % greater than those seen on the servo-driven model. Five energetic materials were also tested on each machine, including PETN, RDX, HMX, CL-20, and HNAB. Results from the servo-driven model generally showed slightly less sensitivity when compared to the cam driven model, though the magnitude of the difference is not significant enough to require modification of safe handling procedures for the materials tested.