Topic Objective 

Develop and design a portable solution capable of evacuating the toxic fumes generated from firing small arms weapons inside of an environmental conditioning while maintaining constant temperature and humidity. 

Description  

Man-portable weapon systems (i.e. small caliber weapons systems) are frequently required to demonstrate their performance under the harshest environments throughout the Test and Evaluation (T&E) process. Specifically, test items are subjected to temperature extremes of -60 to +160°F and humidity ranges of 0 to 100% Relative Humidity (RH) while being operated at maximum capacity. These weapon systems are generally manually operated and are frequently serviced in the conditioned test space by engineers, technicians, and other test personnel. 

Controlling the environment to be able to conduct tests in such extremes is inherently challenging and is often exacerbated by local climate conditions. For example, maintaining an extremely cold test chamber with low humidity would be difficult in a region with naturally high temperatures and high humidity. Further complicating the environmental control is the fact that weapon systems emit toxic fumes from the burning of the ammunition’s propellant. Without appropriate mitigation, the test space becomes inhospitable to weapon system operators and other test personnel. Consequently, a significant percentage of fresh makeup air is required. 

To combat these challenges, robust HVACR (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration) systems are required. Aside from the initial and ongoing maintenance/repair costs, these systems are not especially practical or reliable. These HVACR units and chambers are limited in number and generally fixed in their position. This has proven inadequate for current weapons testing demand as it has created scheduling conflicts and delays while also limiting the mobility of testing across ranges. The testing issues are further compounded by the fact that temperature/humidity extremes are difficult to achieve and maintain because of the large volume of fresh makeup air required to maintain safe Carbon Monoxide levels. 

The focus of this effort is to develop a solution that facilitates mobile testing of man-portable weapon systems in conditioned environments. As such, the following requirements apply: 

• The system shall be fully portable to allow for quick and easy movement between ranges, incorporating modular design features where applicable. For example, a complete chamber system with large HVACR unit may be fully contained and fixed on trailer or may be designed for operators to disassemble within four (4) hours using basic hand tools in the field to load components onto a trailer using a forklift
• System shall create testing environment with safe operating levels of toxic fumes present in accordance with all relevant Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations for up to four (4) system operators without use of supplied air system or other lifeline while firing one (1) weapon as described below: 
  • Temp conditioning of weapon and all ancillary equipment from -60 to +160°F
  • Humidity conditioning of weapon and all ancillary equipment from 0 to 100% RH
  • System shall accommodate additional instrumentation (e.g. thermocouples, pressure sensors, etc.) fitted to the weapon system for data acquisition and allow for easy access to that instrumentation by test personnel. If applicable, instrumentation ports shall be included 
• System shall be designed to accommodate man-portable weapon systems (i.e. small arms systems, 40-mm grenade launchers, etc.) at maximum rates of fire up to an hour in continuous duration, and up to eight hours per day
• A fully enclosed chamber space (if applicable) shall have interior space of no less than 15 x 15 x 10-ft (L x W x H) 
• A fully enclosed chamber (if applicable) shall accommodate personnel entering/exiting the chamber up to five times per hour 
• A fully enclosed chamber (if applicable) shall provide two firing ports – one for the weapon and one for instrumentation/target acquisition 
• System shall not impede access by operators to service the weapon or instrumentation 
• System may be retrofitted to pre-existing Government furnished equipment (e.g. chamber) 

Phase I 

Research and evaluate current technology and methods for simulating environmental conditions. Adapt findings to include the introduction of live fire testing of man-portable weapons into the test space. Hazards due to live firing in a confined, conditioned space shall be identified and addressed. Determine if there are existing technologies that can be utilized in the design of a system to accomplish the desired outcome. If such a current technology and/or method does not exist, develop concept that includes novel technology and/or method or improvements upon existing technology and/or method. Potential solutions will be further evaluated and developed in Phase II. 

Phase II 

Select concepts from Phase I shall be further developed and evaluated to determine the best candidate. Efforts shall be made to demonstrate each candidate system’s performance, reliability, safety and general compliance with the requirements using scientifically backed data including computer models, historical examples/data or other appropriate means. A final candidate shall be selected based on these results. The selected candidate system shall be extensively modeled to ensure feasibility of design and compliance with requirements. If feasible, a scaled or full prototype shall be developed and tested to demonstrate compliance with requirements. 

Phase III 

A final prototype shall be developed for demonstration to the U.S Government and DoD contractors. While this effort intends to satisfy a specific DoD T&E need, this technology could be adapted to various firing range facilities across both public and private sectors, potentially saving significant start up and lifecycle costs. 

Submission Information  

To submit full proposal packages and for more information, visit the DSIP Portal.