PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. (June 18, 2015) -- In honor of World War II veteran and former Picatinny senior manager John P. Amerspek, Picatinny Arsenal held a building dedication ceremony on June 15 for its new propellant complex.
The John P. Amerspek Propellant Development Complex is a research, development test and evaluation facility. It will allow scientists and engineers to research and develop the next generation of gun propellants from modeling and simulation through manufacturing and performance testing of small, medium and large caliber propellants.
Propellants are a chemical substance used to create movement or propulsion within projectiles or other objects. They can be found in munitions, rockets, aircrafts, and common objects, such as airbags or hairspray cans.
The U.S. Army uses propellants in ammunition cartridges to create the energy needed to propel ammunition from weapons, such as guns and cannons.
At Picatinny's Program Executive Office for Ammunition, almost all its products, from small caliber bullets to 155 millimeter artillery rounds, use propellants.
"Our energetics capabilities at Picatinny go from synthesis at the test tube level, through scale-up at various levels to development of production processes, which can be handed to the industrial base for full scale production," said John Hedderich, director of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center.
"These capabilities, to include this new Propellant Development Complex, are a key reason Picatinny is designated as a Department of Defense specialty site for guns and ammunition," Hedderich said.
During the ceremony, Amerspek's daughter, Donna Snyder, received an American flag and a certificate signed by New Jersey Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen.
The certificate recognizes that the flag has been flown over the United States Capitol in honor of the building dedication and plaque unveiling ceremony for her father, who passed away in December 2013.
Amerspek, who worked at the arsenal from 1951-1981, served in a variety of progressive line and staff positions at Picatinny during his career. He was hired in the pyrotechnics division, but later became chief of the program section for Project Manager for Selected Ammunition, and served as deputy to former Picatinny Arsenal Commander Kilbert "Bert" E. Lockwood, who attended the ceremony.
He also established a chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association at Picatinny, which is a group dedicated to fostering a more effective relationship between government and industry.
"Over the years, dad taught me many lessons that I have learned and used," said Snyder. "The first was in 1979, when I applied for a job here. I had just gotten my bachelor's degree and graduated magna cum laude, and when I was expecting a GS-5 or a GS-7 position, personnel said: 'Congratulations! You're a GS-2 clerk typist.' I moaned and groaned and dad said to me: 'Never compare your journey to someone else's. It's not what you have, it's what you do with what you have.'
"Whenever he called, the conversation always went the same way," added Snyder. "He'd say 'Hi. How are you doing? How's Picatinny?' It wasn't just a paycheck to him. It gave him and my mother a chance at a life that he never dreamed possible and for that he was eternally grateful, and wanted to give back. It means the world to my family and myself to see the name on the building and I thank you for the honor."
Afterward, event participants toured the facility, which showcased the various capabilities that are used to develop propellants, such as Propellant Mixers, a Roll Mill, a Synthesis Laboratory, Extrusion Press, and Foamed Celluloid Processing Equipment and an Erosion Tester. Subject matter experts also discussed some characteristics that are considered when developing propellants, including burn rate and geometrical shape.
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The Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.
RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC provides it.
Related Links:
U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) homepage
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