Twenty ton spherical explosive charges made from moldable explosives have become increasingly important to DNA's aboveground test programs. These charges provide longer duration free field pressure signals than can be produced in the underground test environment. The safety of manufacturing these 20 ton spherical charges could be greatly enhanced through the development of fiber optic based instrumentation to monitor process parameters. The ability of this same instrumentation to characterize the explosives material density prior to and measure time of arrival during the detonation of the moldable explosives would further enhance the value of the proposed measurement systems to DNA. In Phase I program, the requirements for systems to both monitor critical process parameters and to characterize the explosive charges after manufacture will be assessed. Sensors will be fabricated and initially characterized in the laboratory. Conceptual designs for complete measurement systems for both process monitoring and charge characterization will be developed. In addition, a demonstration of the measurement system will be developed. In addition, a demonstration of the measurement system will be arrange at the dna contractor facility responsible for charge manufacture.
