Statistical assessment methods for the sensitivity of energetic materials

The joint research project Particle Processing and Characterization was started in March 2003 under the EUROPA ERG1 Arrangement, with the objective to study the influence of crystallization and processing techniques on particle quality and its implication for the formulation of PBX with IM behavior. As sensitivity assessment is a crucial task of the project, impact sensitivity tests of HMX and RDX samples have been performed at two different laboratories, and several statistical techniques have been tested in addition to the standard BAM "1/6" and Bruceton "up and down" methods.