Army partners with Purdue University for futuristic materials research

By U.S. Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory Public AffairsAugust 31, 2020

A new agreement, formally known as Advancing Army Modernization Priorities through Collaborative Energetic Materials Research, is led by Purdue Prof. Jeff Rhoads. The project includes research in the area of modeling and simulations, energetic materials synthesis and scale-up, additive manufacturing, environmental sustainment and novel characterization methods for energetic materials.
A new agreement, formally known as Advancing Army Modernization Priorities through Collaborative Energetic Materials Research, is led by Purdue Prof. Jeff Rhoads. The project includes research in the area of modeling and simulations, energetic materials synthesis and scale-up, additive manufacturing, environmental sustainment and novel characterization methods for energetic materials. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army - Shutterstock) VIEW ORIGINAL

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. -- The U.S. Army awarded Purdue University $8 million for a joint project in the area of sustainable energetic materials research. The congressionally authorized funds are part of a three-year agreement with a potential government investment of up to $24 million.

Researchers from the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command’s Army Research Laboratory teamed up with Purdue University researchers to advance their work in energetic materials for supporting the service’s long term goals and priorities for ballistics and lethality.

The agreement, formally known as Advancing Army Modernization Priorities through Collaborative Energetic Materials Research, is led by Purdue Prof. Jeff Rhoads. The project includes research in the area of modeling and simulations, energetic materials synthesis and scale-up, additive manufacturing, environmental sustainment and novel characterization methods for energetic materials.

“The agreement also focuses on workforce development and preparing future scientists in energetics materials research,” said Dr. Nirupam J. Trivedi, an Army scientist who serves as the laboratory’s chief for detonation science and modeling. “The models, materials and methods developed at Purdue University will be transitioned to the team of scientists at our laboratory, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to further the development toward weapons applications to realize the goals of Army Modernization Priorities.”

Researchers from Purdue’s Energetic Research Center will carry out the project with Army researchers. The work spans from “synthesis to manufacturing to demilitarizing ammunition and munitions, and everything related to energetic materials in between,” according to a university news release.

“It's an interesting project,” Rhoads said. “On the one hand, it’s trying to increase the effectiveness of these weapons, and on the other, it’s trying to increase the safety and sustainability.”
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

CCDC Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Army’s corporate research laboratory, ARL is operationalizing science to achieve transformational overmatch. Through collaboration across the command’s core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more successful at winning the nation’s wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the Army Futures Command.