October 2012

The Engineering Edge

EdgeWood Chemical Biological Center

October 2012

m er Se rvi ce

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Volume 4, Issue 9

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Serving Those Who Serve: A Message About Customer Service from Alvin D. “AJay” Thornton, Director of Engineering Greetings workforce, As Fiscal Year (FY) 12 draws to a close, the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC), as well as the Department of Defense (DoD), prepare for the changes and new challenges that FY13 is expected to bring. We are facing a culture of uncertainty which will likely result in a shift and reduction in DoD funding. It cannot be business as usual. It is up to each and every one of us to anticipate and plan for those changes by striving to exceed our customers’ needs and understanding all the services and capabilities that ECBC has to offer.

Each and every one of us has a responsibility to remain informed about capabilities across the Directorate and the Center. It is imperative for all to keep an eye and an ear out for new business opportunities and issues our customers are facing. We need to be strategic when thinking about how our capabilities may provide solutions to those issues. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that our customers are aware of our full acquisition lifecycle capabilities, in order to keep their business and build future partnerships.

We are ambassadors for ECBC. Our actions, attitude and professionalism during each customer interaction shape our reputation. We are leaders in evolving chemical and biological defense technologies and capabilities, including rapid response for urgent needs. As we move forward, we must demonstrate these qualities with each customer interaction to reinforce our value and maintain our position as the first stop for chemical and biological solutions.

In this special customer service issue of the Engineering Edge, learn how the Engineering Directorate is keeping the Warfighter safe with Dismounted Reconnaissance Sets, Kits, and Outfits; how a family of systems offers faster hazard mitigation and decontamination through the HaMMeR program; and how the Advanced Design and Manufacturing Division is partnering with the University of Delaware to create customized orthotics for children and the Warfighter through additive manufacturing. Turn the page to read these stories and more as we showcase ECBC’s service to the Warfighter this month.

Sincerely, Alvin D. Thornton Director, Engineering ECBC

Dismounted Reconnaissance Sets, Kits, and Outfits help Warfighters assess Chemical Biological Threats

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magine a team of Soldiers or Marines conducting a sensitive site assessment of a dilapidated chemical factory in the Middle East that may contain unknown Toxic Industrial Chemicals (TICs) or possible precursors to chemical or biological agents. Or perhaps a team of Sailors are required to board and search a non-descript Mediterranean fishing vessel at sea and discover clandestine laboratory equipment. Today these Soldiers, Marines, Airmen and Sailors have limited capability to assess these threats. In the future, these same service members will use the enhanced capabilities provided by the Dismounted Reconnaissance Sets, Kits, and Outfits (DR SKO).

To access the electronic version of this newsletter, visit: http://www.ecbc.army.mil/news/ENG/ APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

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2 | Edgewood Chemical Biological Center

Inside This Month’s Issue: pg.1|Serving Those Who Serve: A Message About Customer Service from Alvin D. “AJay” Thronton, Director of Engineering pg.1,3|Dismounted Reconnaissance Sets, Kits, and Outfits help Warfighters assess Chemical Biological Threats pg.2|In the Army Now: United States Military Uniform pg.3,7|Employees Become Business Savvy with Directorate Business Development Pilot Course pg.5|ATD Branch Completes Collaborative Three Year HaMMER Project pg.6|Supporting the Warfighter, one partnership at a time pg.7|ADM Uses Additive Manufacturing to Create Customized Orthotics pg.8|Out of the Box: ECBC Innovation Contest Sparks Unique, All-in-One Colored Smoke Grenade Design

Awareness: Columbus Day 8 October 2012 Columbus Day, observed on the second Monday of October, recognizes the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival to the Americas in 1492.

Columbus Day was first celebrated as a state holiday in Colorado, and later became a federal holiday in 1937. Several Central and South American countries celebrate Columbus Day as Dia de la Raza (Day of the Races) to commemorate the first encounters between Europeans and Indigenous peoples.

Ask a Tech Tip: Permethrin Spray and pets Mike Kauzlarich, of the Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch, reveals how the techniques and lessons learned in labs can help you solve your household problems. Submit a question to him at usarmy.APG.ecbc.mbx.engineering-directorate@mail.mil.

Permethrin Spray is intended to treat clothing that may have been exposed to ticks; however, treating your clothes with this chemical can be harmful to pets, especially cats. Even rubbing up against treated clothing, has been shown to be fatal to cats.

If you have questions about the impact of Permethrin Spray on household pets, consult your veterinarian.

In the Army Now: United States Military Uniform The Engineering Edge’s “In the Army Now,” series features information pieces addressing frequently asked questions about the Army culture and structure. In this month’s “In the Army Now,” we look at the different types of uniforms within the United States Military.

The United States Military has a different uniform for multiple occasions from attending special ceremonies to working in theater. Over time, the rules governing the use of these uniforms have changed to become simpler and less formalized. In the past, Military personnel were allowed to wear combat/working uniforms while engaging in some sort of physical or dirty activities, while today it has become acceptable for these uniforms to be worn during daily activity.

Here is a quick rundown of the types and styles of common Military uniforms.

This newsletter was published through the Balanced Scorecard.

For article suggestions, questions or comments please contact Ed Bowen at ed.bowen8.civ@mail.mil.

Service Uniform The Service Uniform operates as business casual in the civilian world. This uniform consists of a service coat with ribbons and rank marking. It is worn with a black tie or neck tab and leather shoes. Each Branch has a different color or style worn with this uniform.

The Army has a blue coat with blue pants, the Navy uniform for commissioned and noncommissioned officers is khaki pants and shirt while junior sailors wear a khaki shirt over dark pants. The Air Force uniform design is similar to the Army, but both the shirt and pants are the same shade of blue. Marines wear a service uniform with a brown shirt and brown pants. For all uniforms, ribbons are worn on the left breast pocket with name tags over the right.

Combat or Working Uniforms Most combat and working uniforms look similar in that they are all camouflaged, however each differs in pattern. The standard Army camo has a green digital pattern, while the Marine APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

Corps has a woodland and desert pattern. The Navy has a standard blue-grey camouflage for shipboard use, and digital woodland and digital desert variants, while the Air Force uses a digitized tigerstripe of a light green camo.

Dress Uniforms The most formal attire for Military personnel is the dress uniform. The Army’s dress uniform is made up of the Army Service Uniform, but worn with a bowtie instead of a necktie. In the Navy, junior enlisted sailors wear the traditional sailor uniforms while senior enlisted sailors and commissioned officers wear a black or white dress uniform with waistcoat, bow tie and saber. The Air Force dress uniform is a blue waistcoat with blue pants and a bow tie. The Marines have a special “blue dress” uniform for formal occasions. This uniform has a khaki shirt or blue coat over blue pants with red stripes on the side of each leg. Instead of ribbons, full-sized medals are worn on all military dress uniforms.

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Dismounted Reconnaissance Sets, Kits, and Outfits help Warfighters assess Chemical Biological Threats Continued From Page 1 The U.S. Army DR SKO Project Management Team located at the Edgewood Area of Aberdeen Proving Ground will deliver 444 DR SKO systems to the Joint Warfighter. The team works under the Joint Project Manager for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Contamination Avoidance (JPM-NBC CA), one of eight Joint Project Management Offices within the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. The DR SKO Project Management Team is comprised of fourteen engineers, specialists, and logisticians matrixed from the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center.

“Our system provides a modular baseline suite of modern detection, identification, and protection equipment to support the ever changing threat environment, especially for toxic industrial hazards,” said Mr. Edward Conley, DR SKO System Manager.

When fielded, the DR SKO will provide a dismounted reconnaissance system with enhanced Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) defense capability for all military services, packaged in modular cases and shipping containers. The system can meet any Warfighter configuration required.

As a Joint Program, DR SKO contains a holistic solution set.

Understanding concepts of employment and ensuring operational requirements were technically achievable and allowed the program to successfully meet the diverse needs of the Services. The solution set that is currently in the DR SKO required numerous end user coordination meetings and design reviews to translate operational needs into materiel solutions.

Despite the extensive coordination with the user community, the DR SKO team experienced difficulty early in the acquisition process.

“Originally, the strategy included initial entry into the acquisition process at the Low-Rate Initial Production decision. The lack of independently verified data to support evaluation of key performance parameters drove a change in strategy,” explained Anne Hise, Lead System Engineer, “this afforded the team time to perform risk reduction testing to verify performance in a relevant environment.”

After completion of the technology development acquisition program phase, the contractor, FLIR, assembled the DR SKO test systems.

The test team initiated full developmental testing and operational assessments at various test centers.

“An upfront relationship with the independent evaluators, such as the Army Test and Evaluation Command is essential to a successful test and evaluation program” - Connie Wolf, DR SKO Test Manager Identifying user requirements included identifying test requirements.

Connie Wolf, Test Manager, emphasized that the DR SKO program thrives due to the team cohesiveness and collaboration with the Stakeholders. “An upfront relationship with the independent evaluators, such as the Army Test and Evaluation Command is essential to a successful test and evaluation program,” Wolf said.

Even though the test and evaluation team approached the program in a unified way, complications arose from some decisive tests. Often, vendor claims could not be verified, forcing a change in the materiel solution set. In other cases, the team discovered that items which actually met industry standard testing did not survive in the broad range of required operational environmental factors.

Marines and Sailors had the opportunity to assess the system during Operational Assessments at Fort Hood, Texas and Moyock, North Carolina. From these events, demonstrated limitations have driven additional changes to the DR SKO capability set. Tim Goetze, Test Engineer, expressed that “discovering these limitations reinforced the decision to characterize the military utility of commercial equipment.”

After concluding the Engineering and Manufacturing Development acquisition program phase, the DR SKO will advance to the Low-Rate Initial Production decision and begin the Production and Development Phase. The Full-Rate Production decision is planned for Fiscal Year 2014 with the first unit fielding within that fiscal year. Fielding DR SKO will help close the capability gap by delivering significantly-enhanced, Government-verified, full-spectrum CBRN dismounted reconnaissance equipment adapted for employment by each Service.

The DR SKO Project Management Team will deliver 444 DR SKO to the Joint Warfighter. The DR SKO team is made up of ECBC matrixed engineers, specialists and logisticians.

Employees Become Business Savvy with Directorate Business Development Pilot Course Two individuals from each Engineering Division of all grade levels were

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he Edgewood Chemical Biological Center’s Engineering Directorate held its pilot Business Development (BD) Training Iteration on 25 July. BD Training is an effort created by the Balanced Scorecard Business Development Core Team to train individuals within the Directorate on how to identify, gain and successfully maintain business opportunities with new and existing customers.

With the current Department of Defense (DoD) environment and budget cuts, business development training courses are essential.

selected by their Division Chief to be a part of the pilot program.

“With our organization being 90 percent reimbursable, it is more important than ever to make our capabilities and skill sets clear to our customers,” said Bill Klein, Associate Director of Engineering.

BD Training equips Engineering Directorate employees with the skills and tools they need to identify and pursue opportunities for customer funding.

The BD curriculum consisted of learning how to listen in context, the art of

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Completes Collaborative HaMMER Project T he Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) Engineering Directorate’s Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD) Branch has now successfully demonstrated a family of systems for hazard mitigation and decontamination, known as the Hazard Mitigation, Materiel and Equipment Restoration (HaMMER) ATD. The Operational Demonstration (Op Demo), which was the capstone event for a threeyear effort, occurred at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii in August/September 2012. The Op Demo was executed by the HaMMER Operational Management Team from United States Army, Pacific (USARPAC) using Warfighters from the 23rd Chemical Company, the 71st Chemical Company, and the United States Marine Corps.

“The HaMMER ATD was the first time a family of systems had been demonstrated for hazard mitigation and decontamination. HaMMER is unique in that it is integrating several different technologies - strippable coatings, multiple decontaminants and agent indicator products.”

- Shawn Funk, HaMMER Technical Manager HaMMER Team Leader ATD Branch member.

“The Warfighter community requested a decontamination solution where Soldiers and equipment are reconstituted faster after a CBRN attack. HaMMER and its family of systems is the solution,” said LTC Jeffrey Winston, Chief USARPAC CBRNE Division and HaMMER Operational Manager.

The ATD Branch was created in 2005 to support the Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Joint Science and Technology Office (JSTO) ATD portfolio. The ATD Branch provides the Technical Manager function for some of these efforts, and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Unmanned Ground Reconnaissance (CUGR) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD), initiated in 2005, was the first Engineering Directorate-led ATD. Since that first project, the ATD Branch has evolved, continuing to support DTRA JSTO as the Technical Manager for four more ATDs including HaMMER. “DTRA JSTO is the overall Program Manager and sponsor for this effort.

They trusted us with more than $18M to successfully manage this ATD, and we are all very proud of the work we have accomplished,” said Shawn Funk, ATD Branch member and HaMMER Technical Manager.

ATDs are collaborative by nature. They usually are made up of three managers from across the Department of Defense. There is an Operational Manager (OM), which is typically a military organization responsible for all Warfighter aspects; a representative from one of the Project Manager (PM) shops under the Joint Project Executive Office (JPEO) acts as the Transition Manager and is responsible for follow-on work in an acquisition program, and finally a Research and Development organization serves as the Technical Manager (TM), responsible for technology integration, technical demonstration and operational systems.

The HaMMER ATD is directly aligned with the Decontamination Family of Systems effort led by Joint Project Manager (JPM) Protection as the Transition Manager; The United States Army, Pacific, as the OM; and ECBC as the TM. “The HaMMER ATD was the first time a family of systems had been demonstrated for hazard mitigation and decontamination,” Funk said. “HaMMER is unique in that it is integrating several different

technologies - strippable coatings, multiple decontaminants and agent indicator products.”

These technology categories were established through a Technology Transition Agreement between DTRA JSTO and the Transition Manager.

In order to effectively demonstrate these technology categories, much work was done to identify specific technologies, design supporting applicators, and develop tactics, techniques and procedures.

“Ultimately, successful military utility for the HaMMER ATD products will depend on the convergence of technology, applicator and process,” Funk said. “In order to ensure that our work on the project was adequately aligned to Warfighter needs, the HaMMER Technical Manager and Operational Manager teams invested considerable effort to capture the Warfighter perspective to mature these facets.”

These efforts included frequent visits to Schofield Barracks, HI throughout the past three years, two Early User Assessments, Technical Demonstrations and a quick look initiative to obtain extensive Warfighter feedback on these technologies.

“To further ensure HaMMER technologies are meaningfully demonstrated, we designed three different HaMMER systems to accommodate differing force structure and operational scales,” Funk said.

In simple terms, these systems can be categorized as “small, medium, and large” suites of equipment. The smallest end of the scale occurs at the lowest level of employment for the individual operator or vehicle crew level. In an effort to provide them with the most capability in the smallest footprint, a Go-Bag called the “Mobile on the Move” Suite was created, merging decontaminant, indicator and applicator technologies into a very small package that could substantially increase the selfsufficiency of vehicle crews when faced with chemical threats.

The middle of the scale, called the “Mobile Support” suite, is represented by Battalion level operations. This system is a deployable asset designed to support up to ten contaminated vehicles in a field environment. The system uses the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle and High Mobility Trailer as its platform. It contains on-board applicators for the indicator sprays, and a “Dial-a-Decon” based applicator system that can be easily switched from rinse water, supersoap or decontaminant.

Finally, the largest end of the scale, called the “Stationary Support” suite, is represented by dedicated decontamination operations executed by a chemical company. The system supporting this operational level of employment is based on a Light Medium Tactical Vehicle, and incorporates the same technologies as the previous systems, but on yet a larger scale, and supplemented by a second decontaminant.

The HaMMER ATD was executed in four phases: Risk Reduction, Optimization, Integration, and Demonstration over a three year period starting in February 2009 and ending with the August 2012 Op Demo.

The new technologies and tactics demonstrated in the HaMMER ATD will pave a path forward to modernize the way U.S. military does decontamination. Personnel with DTRA and USARPAC believe HaMMER is a revolutionary step forward.

“The HaMMER family of systems has revolutionized our decontamination operations by better protecting our Service Members through early preparation, rapid detection, superior equipment, decontamination asset distribution throughout the battle space, and our tactics,” said LTC Winston

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Supporting the Warfighter, one partnership at a time “The Engineering Edge” sat down with Colonel Alfred Abramson III, the new Joint Project Manager for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Contamination Avoidance (JPM NBC CA), avid golfer, and father of four, to discuss his background, new role and JPM NBC CA’s longstanding relationship with the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC).

Engineering Edge(EE): How long have you been the JPM NBC CA? COL Alfred Abramson III (AA): I started my current role as JPM NBC CA on June 19, 2012, but I have held three other positions with the organization in the past. I first started working with what ended up becoming JPM NBC CA in 1996 as an Assistant Team Leader, then in 2002 as an Assistant Product Manager and lastly in 2007 as a Joint Product Manager. I returned for my current role this year.

(EE): What roles did you have previous to becoming the PM of JPM NBC CA, and how did those roles lead you to your current position?

(AA): My educational background is in chemistry. I initially began my military career as a Chemical Corps officer and in 1996 switched over to the Acquisition Corps. In the Army, a Chemical Corps officer provides a Warfighter perspective of how these emerging capabilities will eventually be used. Having this background allows one to appreciate the full impact of your work; it adds true value to the project at hand.

I have also held other great positions that have ultimately groomed me to take on this new role, and increased level of responsibility.

My indoctrination, so to speak, was working on the early version of the Joint Lightweight Standoff Chemical Agent Detector project.

This was the first time I worked with government civilians serving as the bulk of the workforce.

I’ve had two experiences, not directly related to any type of specific work, that were really valuable for my professional development.

One was my position as Aide-de-Camp. I had the opportunity to accompany the Commanding General on many trips and witness a variety of strategic level discussions. What I received was a “birds-eye” view of how Army senior leaders conduct business on a daily basis. I greatly benefitted from witnessing decision making at this level. The other position was my role as Military Assistant to the Under-Secretary of the Army. I received similar experience, as with the Aide position, except I experienced senior level decision making at an even higher strategic leadership level. It was here where I learned the relevance of the civilian-military relationship within the Army and the Department of Defense as a whole.

(EE): What are your goals in this new position?

(AA): Entering this position, I have one mission - develop and field a capability to the Warfighter. In order to accomplish that mission, we must continue to maintain the trust, integrity and excellent working

relationships with our stakeholders –the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center being one of those big stakeholders – as well as taxpayers, customers and other partners. We must continue to do the same great work we have been doing, and seek opportunities to find efficiencies in our work.

One of the ways we are working to create efficiencies is the establishment of the Trail Boss construct, where we collaborate with other PMs within the organization as well as other governmental agencies focused on the Chemical Biological Defense mission. This construct allows PMs to look across portfolios to ensure that efforts are not being duplicated. With this construct, along with our continued excellence, we can make any success possible.

(EE): How do you expect to continue the partnership that ECBC has with the JPM NBC CA? (AA): Ever since I began working within JPM NBC CA in 1996, ECBC has been a critical partner in the PM mission. We rely on ECBC for a variety of requirements, and they have always provided the PM with some sort of assistance – the bulk of the civilian workforce consists of actual ECBC employees; we rent office space from ECBC; we utilize ECBC labs and test facilities to name a few.

Our ability to achieve our objectives are directly related to our continued use of this partnership. One example that sticks out to me is how the Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Division used their rapid prototyping capabilities. This great group of folks can quickly turn around a prototype of a future project to determine its utility before we make a full commitment. This is an absolutely critical and affordable capability.

We must continue to foster this strong partnership by maintaining an open dialogue and remaining transparent, because without our partnership with ECBC, we cannot accomplish our mission.

Please Note! JEAP is Now JEFS The Joint Equipment Assessment Program (JEAP) has recently changed its name to the JPEO-CBD Enterprise Fielding & Surveillance (JEFS) Directorate.

The ECBC Engineering Directorate has employees at both the Edgewood and Rock Island sites who continue to support the JEFS mission. For more information, contact Nicki Freeze at nickl.m.freeze.civ@mail.mil or 309-782-1743 (DSN: 793-1743).

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ADM Uses Additive Manufacturing to Create Customized Orthotics

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he U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) Engineering Directorate is working on more than just designing, building, testing and supporting technology and protective equipment used in battle. It is now supporting the Warfighter, particularly the wounded Warfighter, after combat. Engineering’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing (ADM) Division partnered with The University of Delaware to expand on the Rapid Manufacture of Personalized Rehabilitation Devices (RaMPeRD) project, which started two and a half years ago, to develop orthoses for the lower limbs.

This project utilizes the additive manufacturing technologies and 3D data capturing capabilities within ADM to quickly create custommade orthoses for Warfighters and civilians with lower-limb injuries and disabilities. The new process will result in a more affordable, faster manufacturing process that will provide optimal patient function through a customized rehabilitation orthosis.

“The whole basis of this project is that we can create customized orthoses by taking a detailed scan of the leg,” said Rick Moore, Rapid Technologies Branch Chief. “Using this kind of 3D data capturing technology creates comfortable, custom-fit limbs, is cost-effective and can be produced quickly.”

A cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) between ECBC and the University of Delaware allows for orthotics research done at the University to develop into a finished product using the tools and expertise available at ECBC facilities. Currently,

the group’s orthoses products are for the Nemours Center for Children’s Health, but eventually these items will be manufactured for wounded Warfighters as well.

The impact that customizable orthoses has on wounded Warfighters is what Kevin Wallace, Technology and Systems Integration Branch Chief, said is a fulfilling part of doing a project like this. “It is great to help provide this type of a solution to civilian and military personnel,” Wallace said. “It means a lot to a wounded Warfighter who can use these products to return to full strength after an injury.”

Moore said the opportunity to change lives using the engineering expertise is something that ADM has dreamt about doing for years.

“I’ve been working with Laser Scanning for about 15 years now, and we always talked about creative customizable protective gear, so it’s good to start to pave the way for that type of opportunity in the future,” Moore said.

“It gives us the opportunity to do challenging research work and expand on the skills we already have,” said Lester Hitch, an engineer within ADM’s Rapid Technologies Branch.

The University of Delaware is focusing on the research side of the project and is leaning on ECBC for the technical expertise and machinery technology.

Through this project, ADM expects to make their processes more efficient, and create variability for parts and cross sections that will help the Ankle Foot Orthotic technologies overall.

Above are the five stages of ADM’s Orthoses creation

Employees Become Business Savvy with Directorate Business Development Pilot Course Training Course were still relevant.

Continued from Page 3 the elevator pitch, and “real life” scenarios with role players.

Cindy Learn, an engineer in the Joint Service Physical Protection Equipment Branch (JSPPEB) who with previous business development experience, participated in this pilot program and said she felt the training was especially valuable given the shift in the DoD budgetary climate.

“Until the training, I had no idea how important these skills would become in this new economic age,” said Learn. “It is especially important for everyone, even the most junior engineer, to be able to accurately articulate their skill sets to solicit more business.”

Learn also felt the mix of the experience levels and skill sets in the training contributed to a valuable discussion and learning experience.

“We had some of the Division Chiefs from Rock Island join us and hearing them talking about their experience partnered with the instructor’s lessons really helped the training become more of a discussion rather than a classroom where you sit and take notes.”

Nicole Goetze, a member of Standardization and Specifications Branch, said that although she does not interface with customers outside of the Department of Defense, the skills learned from the BD

“Until the training, I had no idea how important these skills would become in this new economic age. It is especially important for everyone, even the most junior engineer, to be able to accurately articulate their skill sets to solicit more business.”

- Cindy Learn, an engineer with the Joint Service Physical Protection Equipment Branch (JSPPEB) “It was interesting to learn about how to really listen for certain business development ‘triggers’ in conversation, and identify a need during a conversation that the customer may not have outwardly said,” Goetze said.

Plans are underway for the next BD Course. The day-long pilot program was held in the Chemical, Biological, Nuclear and Radiological Production Facility by representatives of the Engineering Directorate’s Balanced Scorecard. Participants of this pilot program will receive 8 Continuous Learning Points.

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Out of the Box: ECBC Innovation Contest Sparks Unique, All-in-One Colored Smoke Grenade Design

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winning design from ECBC Engineering’s Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch is revolutionizing the way the U.S. military uses color smoke grenades, potentially diminishing the physical burden on Warfighters to carry multiple colored smoke grenades.

The M18 series of colored smoke grenades are an important signal tool for the modern Warfighter. Current M18 grenades contain one color (violet, red, yellow or green) smoke per grenade, with about 350 grams of dye in each. Since each smoke grenade serves a distinct purpose, the Warfighter is often required to carry most or all colors, at all times, adding a physical burden that could affect their speed, mission and make less space for other missioncritical items. Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch Chief Joe Domanico, hopes to mitigate the physical challenges of carrying multiple smoke grenades with a new Selectable Color Single Canister Smoke Hand Grenade.

Domanico’s new design placed first in an Edgewood Chemical Biological Center Innovation Contest. The contest, which called for Skunk Works from across the Center, split $50,000 among the top three winners to continue to research and improve their designs. The Selectable Color Single Canister Smoke Hand Grenade utilizes solid state fluid logic within the lightweight grenade body for the selection of the desired color. Using an additional blue color, a single grenade has the ability to produce up to seven different smoke colors.

“All of these color possibilities are made available to the Warfighter in one canister – that has not been done before.”

-Joe Domanico, Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch Chief.

“In the new design there are three dye compartments, each filled with a primary color: yellow, red and blue,” said Domanico. “The top part of the grenade has two dials. If a user twists one dial, the apparatus reveals one dye color. If they twist both dials, two colors are revealed, at once creating a new color.”

For example, if a Warfighter needed to use an orange smoke grenade, they would twist the grenade to unlock the red and yellow dye, revealing the orange color. Yellow and blue make the standard green color dye, red and blue make the violet dye.

“All of these color possibilities are made available to the Warfighter in one canister – that has not been done before,” said Domanico.

The grenade also produces a seventh color. When all three dyes are released at the same time, the grenade produces a nearly black smoke – the seventh color. Not only does black create a new signal color, but using all of the dyes at the same time produces the maximum amount of smoke, providing for a concentrated screen or a signal.

“A common misconception about color smoke grenades is that it is one grenade design in four different colors,” Domanico said.

“Actually each color grenade is a different thermodynamically balanced systems, and each dye handles the heat and gas differently. Since they are all different formulations, they are all different grenades.”

The grenade is broken into compartments, one of which contains the balanced fuel/oxidizer/coolant pellet. The new fuel pellet uses a newly developed low-burning-temperature thermochemistry system that provides the correct amounts of heat and gas. The dyes are blended with other non-energetic components which compensate for their different thermochemical needs. This allows a single fuel pellet to be used for every color dye. This arrangement minimizes the unused portion of the grenade.

Basically, the soldier is carrying a “screening” grenade (similar to the M83 TA Smoke Grenade that is standard now) which emits a large dark gray smoke cloud, or by twisting the fluid logic block at the top of the grenade, they can use the grenade as a signal to emit one of six colors. (Note: the M83 TA Smoke Grenade was initially developed by the Pyrotechnics and Explosives Branch for use by NASA in aerodynamic testing of fighter aircraft at 30,000 feet altitude; later adopted by the US Armed Forces as an interim AN-M8 HC Screening Grenade replacement due to its lower toxicity to the soldier and the environment.)

The Branch recently conducted testing work to lower the toxicity of the red and violet smoke colors. Previously, the green and yellow smokes were redesigned for lower toxicity. Currently, they are working on the blue dye. All of these new compounds will be used in the Selectable Color Single Canister Smoke Hand Grenade, making the entire mechanism better for Warfighters and the environment than previous styles.

When evaluating the colored smoke dyes, the Branch developed and uses a Smoke Protocol Test that determines the dye’s suitability for use in a smoke grenade. Only 25 grams of a candidate dye is needed to complete the analysis in under a week’s time. The Protocol Test determines the upper and lower temperature limits of the dye, its density in producing a smoke cloud, and the suitability of the smoke cloud’s color.

Domanico and his team will use the money from the ECBC Innovation Contest to demonstrate a full scale prototype grenade designed and manufactured within the Pyrotechnic Loading Facility. They will then demonstrate the grenade to the proper Project Managers who have already shown interest in the design.

“The success of this project will be a program of record to get this technology into the hands of the Warfighter.”

The Selectable Color Single Canister Smoke Hand Grenade does not just make seven colors of a grenade available on one device it makes seven grenades available on one device.

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