RAPID DESIGN & OPTIMIZATION COMPOSITE RETAINER

To support Expanding Tube Assembly loading of energetic material

Interested in knowing more about how composite materials can be implemented into energetic devices? A novel use of classical laminate theory (CLT) augmented with a subscale test program was utilized to support the immediate need for an optimized composite retainer that could withstand an Expanding Tube Assembly (XTA) loading of energetic material. The known bending stiffnesses of a legacy aluminum retainer were used to obtain the number of plies of an equivalent cross-section. The analysis revealed the number of plies and stacking orientation of the new material necessary to yield comparable stiffnesses to the legacy device. Subscale retainers were tested as various thicknesses to optimize and define final cross-section geometry. The optimized cross-section was selected. Additional subscales were tested at the selected thickness for validation. Our own Richard Davis presented to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics his research and analysis on the subject.