SHELF-LIFE ESTIMATION OF GUN PROPELLANT STOCKPILE

Gun propellant stability is an important consideration when assessing the safety of gun ammunition. In order to predict deteriorating stabil ity of propellant stockpiles over lifetime, the master sample surveill ance program has long been used by U.S. military laboratories. In this paper, we utilize the information obtained from the Navy's master sam ple surveillance program and employ a random effects linear model to e stimate the safe shelf-life of gun propellant stockpiles. Estimation m ethods are discussed and applied to 5-inch 54-caliber Navy Cool (NACO) propellants. Several recommendations are practice of the surveillance program and subsequent data analyses.