Manfature of Explosives for Research Testing

The objective of this requirement is to manufacture explosives for research testing on a range of sizes and materials within bespoke geometries (typically without a casing). As these are for research characterisation or validation purposes, maximum care is required in terms of composition, quality control, consistency, mixing etc These tests include

- Initiation/SDT (Shock to detonation transition) testing - UNDEX (UNDerwater EXplosion) - Near-field testing (0.1<Z<1 m/kg1/3) - Far-field testing - Confined testing - General charge boosters Requirements are to manufacture explosives to MIL spec or equivalent, unless otherwise agreed with Dstl, to a range of criteria. Examples of which include: - Materials: o TNT o PE6 o PBXN-109 o PBXN-111 o KS57 o LX17 o PBXN-5 o PBXN-110 o Propellants o Inert surrogates of explosives (e.g. PBXN-110 using sugar instead of HMX) o Research charges with requested composition (unique composition or change in particle size distribution etc) - Geometry: o Sphere o Hemisphere o Cylinder (various L/D) o Detonator or booster holes would likely be required - Casing o No casing (cast and then removed from moulds with minimum surface imperfections or machined after removal to ensure surface quality) o Plastic/polymer casings to allow visualisation of samples while being tested (e.g. temperature measurements during SDT testing) o Plastic/polymer casings to charge protection/separation from ambient conditions (e.g. for UNDEX charges) o Casing only, bespoke casings to be later filled (e.g. with nitromethane) o Metallic casings, various thickness of e.g. steel to either provide confinement or investigate fragmentation effects o Reactive metal casings, such as aluminium or magnesium to investigate combustion effects of the casings - Charge size o Small (e.g. <10g) up to large (e.g. 200kg)

Additional information: Information requested: To assist the Authority, respondents to this RFI should provide information to meet these above requirements, including but not limited to: - A breakdown of what is and is not possible for a range of combinations o e.g. can manufacture up to 200kg within a casing but only to 5kg spheres or 3kg cylinders (with a certain L/D) if uncased - Manufacture capacity - Approximate lead times - Limitations of certain materials - Tolerances for small charges - Anticipated issues (e.g. voids or imperfections for small charges or when removing from moulds - Techniques for modifying initial charge conditions, such as o Damage - sub-critical impact to alter state o Compression to reduce voids/pores (eliminate micro-pores and leave only nano-pores) o Vacuum/inert atmosphere manufacture - ensure voids/pored no not contain air - Techniques for analysing charges once manufactures, such as: o Investigate pore size o Investigate particle size distribution - Safety data sheets etc for transport to test site (UK or international) - Small scale hazard testing facilities, for if unique compositions are chosen and need safety aspects before being manufactured or transported - Manufacturing and mixing facilities/instrumentation Your written responses should be submitted by email to [email protected] to arrive by not later than that date and time detailed above