High-Density Reactive Materials

Reactive material weapon systems can be game-changers for the warfighter. The High-Density Reactive Material Program explores how enhanced potential energy density and energy coupled to the target will create new damage paradigms. Use of this technology can produce tailored energetic effects suitable to counter both conventional threats and peer-level challenges. The “tailoring” of a reactive material weapon system will depend upon the ability to understand and describe the properties of the reactive materials. Material tailoring will require macroscopic mechanical and chemical models, understanding of molecule dynamics, and developing strength/reactivity correlations. The impact on reaction mechanisms of varying material manufacturing methods must be determined. The strength, density, porosity, fracture, and aging will all impact the reaction and therefore the weapon’s effectiveness.