Testing &Analysis

For more information on partnering with the Kansas City Plant, contact:

Office of Business Development1.800.225.8829customer_inquiry@kcp.com

99

ChemicalAnalysis

At the Kansas City Plant, chemical analysis covers a wide variety of materials, including gases, solids, polymers and organic and inorganic species. We analyze samples of all sizes down to the microscopic level. Our variety of techniques and equipment, along with the unsurpassed skills of our analytical lab team, gives our customers the advantage of the most advanced, detailed, on-demand materials analysis.

FeaturesOrganic/Polymer AnalysisKansas City Plant laboratories use many instrumental and wet chemical techniques to characterize organic and polymeric materials in all states. We obtain vital information such as:• Purity • Boiling and melting points • Moisture content • Carbon hydrogen and nitrogen content• ViscositiesTechniques and equipment used for polymer analysis in ppm to ppb range:• Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy• Gas chromatography• Gas chromatography mass spectrometry• Carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen combustion analysis• Gel permeation chromatography• Liquid chromatography• Karl Fisher moisture analysis• Various wet chemical techniques

Gas AnalysisIncoming compressed gas samples or samples taken from a weapon component atmosphere are analyzed in our lab. Information on moisture content, fixed gases

content and organic content are obtained from sealed components with volumes as small as 0.002 cc. Trace organic impurities in gas samples (parts per million or lower) are determined using either cryotrap sampling or solid phase microextraction sampling coupled with gas chromatography mass spectrometry.Techniques and equipment used for gas analysis include:• Residual gas analyzers (mass spectrometers)• Mass Spectrometry• Gas chromatography• Hygrometers• Oxygen analyzers

Inorganic AnalysisUsing inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and optical emission spectroscopy (OES), we get inorganic analysis results at the parts-per-bil-lion level or lower. As with organic analysis, we analyze all states of materials (gas, liquid and solid) in our laboratory.

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Wet chemical analysis

100

ChemicalAnalysis

Techniques and equipment used for inorganic analysis include:• Liquid titrations• Ion chromatography• Inductively coupled plasma techniques (mass spectrometry and emission spectroscopy)• Combustion techniques for sulfur, carbon and nitrogen in metals

MicroanalysisUsing a variety of methods, micro samples can be analyzed to determine chemical content. The techniques listed below, combined with other surface analysis procedures, produce extremely detailed pictures of micro-contamination.

Techniques used in microanalysis include:• Probe mass spectrometry• Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry• Infrared microscopy• Residual gas analyzers (for micro gas sampling)

ApplicationsThe Kansas City Plant’s analytical laboratory supports many types of projects including:• Aging studies • Materials characterization and identification• Organic and inorganic contamination analysis to preempt the failure of parts or processes• Process chemistry characterization• Purity determinations• Resins, adhesives, coatings, advanced plastics and composites analysis

• Characterization and specification of recycled materials• Composition of gaseous, liquid and solid samples

Chemical Analysis at WorkLightning arrestor connectors (LACs) are used to keep warheads from acknowledging an electrical signal generated by an inadvertent event. Recently, several LACs were sent to our lab for analysis of particles appearing on the parts. Four techniques were used to help determine the cause of the potential contamination: 1) scanning electron microscopy (SEM); 2) fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy; 3) probe mass spectrometry (MS); and 4) laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). FTIR and probe MS identified white particles on the part as a bis-phenol A epoxy. Probe MS found brown particles to be from Vespel, a high-temperature polymer used in the connector. Finally SEM, probe MS and laser ablation ICP-MS determined that lead from ceramics also existed in the part.

None of the materials found were foreign, but rather were by-products of the manufacturing process. By using a combination of analytical tools, our laboratory staff was able to give a detailed picture of the parts, providing engineers with valuable information to improve LAC production processes.

Residual gas analysis

Unknown particles on lightning arrestor connectors

101

Custom Testing &MeasurementSystems

Today’s products are becoming much more complex and, at the same time, more compact. These trends in turn increase the performance demands for production testers. For example, we require higher processing power for system computers to acquire and analyze test readings, as well as faster and more sophisticated tester-generated stimuli to exercise the product unit-under-test. The Kansas City Plant routinely meets these demands with unique, electromechanically automated test designs. We also provide custom measurement systems for product testing and certification, calibration, data acquisition and analysis, process control and complex sequence timing.

FeaturesWe design and fabricate test equipment and measurement systems with a broad spectrum of electrical, mechanical, software and production skills.

Engineering Design• System solutions integrating commercial off- the-shelf and custom-design components• Programmable logic devices and field programmable gate arrays• Embedded controllers with emphasis on sensor and control circuitry integration, built-in-self-test, and communications buses including I2C, SPI, USB and RS232• Radio frequency and microwave designs including phase-locked loops, high-speed digital and analog, microstrip and antenna• Fiber optics circuitry

Mechanical Design• Centrifuge fixturing• Bed-of-nails spring-loaded probe fixturing• Custom packaging, metal and synthetic materials

Software Design• PC - Visual basic - C/C++ - LabView - Java• Embedded controller: - Assembly language - C

Production• Printed circuit board assembly, including through-hole and surface-mount integrated circuits• Chassis assembly• Cables• Fixtures

A telemetry readout field tester

An encoded switch tester

102

Custom Testing &MeasurementSystems

Custom Measurement Systems• Universal Hi-Pot Cable Tester with partial discharge detection and analysis capabilities - 15 kV DC Hi-Pot automated cable tester designed to accommodate a wide variety of products and replace several aging, out-of-date, product-specific testers• Partial discharge development system - Expanded version of Universal Hi-Pot Tester used for development and research• Purge and backfill station - Automated tester used to backfill desiccant-filled vessels with inert gas while verifying fill-tube operation• Particle detection tester - Automated tester that assesses impurity content in special connectors by monitoring real-time continuity during vibration• Mobile timing and firing system - Programs, controls and monitors event sequencer with 256 outputs and millisecond timing resolution

ApplicationsMulti-Bay Production TestersComplex products often require complex production testers. One of the Kansas City Plant’s strengths is the design, fabrication and delivery of turn-key testers for a wide range of product types such as: • Radars • High-voltage firing sets • Cable continuity and high-potential telemetry devices• Accelerometers• Other environmental sensing devices

Portable TestersFor less complex products, suitcase-sized tes-

ters offer the advantages of reduced cost and portability for remote field applications. These innovative testers provide real-time data collection, distribution and analysis in field conditions. Progressive customers use them for a wide range of product types such as: • Field readout of telemetry devices • Piezoelectric wave motor drivers • Lock/unlock encoded switch devices • Motor-driven boat lights

Award-Winning Measurement SystemsOur work on partial discharge detection and analysis has been published in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) proceedings and honored with a Honeywell FM&T Technical Excellence award due to innovation in cable testing technology. These robust control and measurement systems provide for a high degree of confidence in the test results and data due to application-specific acquisition systems and consistent automated test sequence execution. Automated calibration software assures repeatable and accurate measurements.

We make testing devices for equipment such as this telemetry receiver being retrieved from the ocean after a flight test

103

From vibration and mechanical shock testing to altitude simulation and accelerated stress testing, the breadth of applications and depth of expertise in environmental analysis sets the Kansas City Plant apart. We are able to simulate a variety of environmental conditions including wide ranges in pressures and temperatures, acceleration and vibration, and impulsive and oscillatory shocks. Our engineers produce dependable results so that designers are able to characterize a product’s robustness with confidence. In addition, our full range of test parameters exceeds any commercial offerings, and it’s all done within secure facilities.

FeaturesSinusoidal and Random Vibration • Performed on items weighing up to several hundred pounds• Vibration generation systems, which are electrodynamic devices driven with high- power amplifiers, can: - Generate up to 25,000 force pounds - Impart seismic vibration from 2 to 500 Hz or mechanical vibration from 10 to 4,000 Hz - Deliver those vibrations in chambers that can be controlled from -80º F to 230º F

Mechanical Shock • Can be delivered to items weighing over 500 pounds • Pneumatic actuators can deliver up to 750,000 pounds of peak thrust using 3,000 pounds per square inch of gas pressure• Shock pulses of up to 10,000 g’s or velocity changes up to 300 feet per second on objects weighing up to 50 pounds

• Air gun capable of velocity changes up to 1,000 feet per second on objects weighing up to 20 pounds • Resonant plate device to deliver oscillatory shocks

Linear Acceleration• Centrifuges deliver acceleration forces up to: - 300 g’s on a 100-pound item - 1,500 g’s on a 20-pound item - 600,000 g’s on items weighing up to 50 grams• Computer control of centrifuges allows controlled acceleration profiles to be generated

Temperature, Humidity & Gaseous Atmosphere• Variety of temperature chambers with internal volumes from 1 to 500 cubic feet • Temperatures from -85º F to 600º F • Relative humidity from 50% to 95% in air and lower humidities in other types of atmospheres • Controlled heating and cooling between two temperatures at a variety of heating and cooling rates • Altitude chambers to simulate atmospheric pressure at altitudes from sea level to 200,000 feet and simultaneously expose items to different temperatures

EnvironmentalTesting

A material’s ability to withstand high voltages is measured on dielectric testers

104

Pressure, Proof and Leak• Vacuums to 10-3 torr • Test leakage rates at sensitivities to 10-9 cc per second• Pneumatic and hydrostatic pressures to 30,000 and 100,000 pounds per square inch

Electrical Properties • Performed at voltages up to 75,000 volts, DC or AC • Typically used to determine volume and surface resistivity, dielectric constant and dielectric strength

Highly Accelerated Life Testing• A type of accelerated stress testing • Temperatures from -148º F to 392º F, with temperature ramp rates of over 125º F per minute • Broadband vibration of up to 50 grams in all axes

Other Capabilities• Measuring center of gravity • Determining moment of inertia• Testing acoustic emissions • Monitoring electrical chatter and other electronic parameters during certain types of testing• Designing fixtures to hold test parts during exposure to environments

ApplicationsSinusoidal and random vibration Simulates the vibration that a device encounters during conventional ground handling and transportation as well as in aircraft and missile flight.

Mechanical shock Simulates shocks encountered during handling, such as being dropped or falling off of a truck bed, and shocks encountered during ground impact from high speeds. It also provides pyrotechnic shocks that simulate the explosive stage separation of multistage rockets.

Pressure, proof and leak testing is used to:• Prove the strength of pressure vessels • Perform volume ductility experiments, which establish the rate and extent of expansion of vessels under pressure• Determine burst pressures of pressure vessels

Highly accelerated life testing is used during product development to deliver highly stressful temperature and vibration conditions, causing device failures that enable designers and product engineers to identify design weaknesses and failure modes.

EnvironmentalTesting

Drop shock devices simulate shocks encountered during handling.

Vibration tables to simulate transportation and flight environments

Thermal shock chambers for rapid cycling of materials and devices through wide temperature shifts

105

MechanicalAnalysis

The Kansas City Plant’s analytical sciences laboratory has many facets, and one is its unique ability to solve the toughest mechanical problems. We routinely perform all types of mechanical testing, from the analysis of bulk materials, individual components and various subsystems to various forms of experimental mechanics and test equipment support. In addition, our engineers frequently develop custom test methods and systems for specific requirements.

FeaturesOur department is divided into three unique areas: physical properties, experimental mechanics and mechanical test design.

Physical PropertiesPhysical property testing verifies mechanical properties and processing steps to ensure a robust design. This area has numerous mechanical test frames available to support our customers. Some of the properties we test are:• Tension • Compression• Flexure• Torsion

Other features of the physical properties lab include: • Controlled test environments • Use of standard and customized sample configurations• Load ranges from grams to 135,000 pounds • Test temperature capability from -100° F to 1,000° F• All forms of ASTM, MIL-STD, SAE and ISO specifications

Experimental MechanicsExperimental mechanics involves the use of various sensors to obtain physical properties of both materials and manufactured components. To determine strains and related stresses in components and products under various service loading conditions, we routinely use equipment such as:• Strain gages • Accelerometers • Displacement transducers • Pressure transducers • Thermocouples• Photo-elastic stress materials• Load and torque cells

Our capabilities also include: • A wide range of portable data acquisition systems with scan rates from hours up to one million samples per second• Finite element modeling to ensure a more comprehensive analysis with better analytical conclusions

Mechanical Test DesignThis area specializes in the design, development and manufacture of specialized systems for unique testing requirements. Our test systems use multiple specialty and commercial off-the-shelf sensors to record engineering data for both development and production support. In many cases, the systems are active, providing both control and performance monitoring of the component under test. Our highly skilled development team has delivered numerous innovative test designs under strict cost schedules and short timelines.

106

MechanicalAnalysis

Applications Thermal Tensile TestingOne of our thermal tensile test machines evaluates an adhesive joint at low temperature. This work studied the behavior of the adhesive at four different test temperatures to characterize the performance and support the finite element analysis model of the assembly.

Subminiature Tensile TestingOur sub-miniature tensile test system is used to capture the physical properties of various LIGA materials. We designed and developed this patent-pending test system to provide process control data to our LiGA production department, thereby ensuring a quality product for our customer.

Performance and Life-Expectancy TestingHere, various high-temperature thermocouples and strain gages are placed throughout a fireset assembly. This unit was instrumented and tested under a simulated fuel fire scenario to capture the thermal race behavior and its impact on overall system performance and life-expectancy.

Hardware EvaluationOur linear actuator tester is used to evaluate hardware for the National Ignition Facility. The Kansas City Plant developed this tester to meet the strict requirements of the design specification. It uses a stepper motor control and a displacement measuring gauge to exercise and certify the actuators for final performance qualification.

Load TestingA small ceramic beam undergoes a standard four-point American Society of Testing and Materials load test. This work correlated the different laser-cutting techniques used to manufacture ceramic piece parts and their impact on the overall strength of the ceramics.

107

Metallurgical &MaterialsDiagnostics

The science of metallurgical diagnostics delves deep into metals and alloys to uncover their properties at the microscopic level. With our advanced equipment, we obtain information that is vital to the understanding of the structure and property relationships of joining, forming and finishing operations. Using tools such as optical and electron microscopy, we examine bulk, near-surface and surface properties of materials, as well as identify corrosion products and other microscopic defects that would otherwise go undetected.

FeaturesOptical microscopy Optical micriscopy can magnify a metallographic specimen from 25X up to 1,500X. Preparation of these specimens generally requires five major operations: sectioning, mounting (optional), grinding, polishing and etching. Image analysis computer systems then measure microscopic images for material grain size, inclusions, coating thicknesses and distribution of second-phase particles.

A hardness measurement can be done on a material using three major scales:• Microhardness is an indentation method for measuring the hardness of a material on a microscopic scale. A precision-shaped diamond indenter is impressed into the material at loads from 15 to 1,000 gram- force. The impression length, measured microscopically, and the test load are then used to calculate a hardness value. - Knoop and Vickers hardness scales are available

- Microhardness is generally used to measure coatings, small parts and microscopic features within a material• Rockwell hardness consists of indenting the test material with a diamond cone or hardened steel ball indenter under various loads - Rockwell and Superficial Rockwell hardness scales are available - This test is the industry standard for use on steel, copper and aluminum alloys• Brinell hardness involves indenting the test material with a 10 mm-diameter tungsten carbide ball subjected to a load of 3,000 kilograms - This test averages the hardness over a wider amount of material, which averages the effects of multiple grain structures and material irregularities

Automated metallographic sample polishing machine

108

Metallurgical &MaterialsDiagnostics

Scanning electron microscopyScanning electron microscopy (SEM) utilizes several different instruments to show detailed 3D images of a sample surface at much higher magnifications than is possible with a light microscope. Energy-dispersive X-ray spec-troscopy (EDS) and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) are used to obtain rapid chemical characterization of microscopic features. • X-ray spectroscopy (EDS, WDS) involves an electron beam striking the sample surface to produces X-ray radiation that is characteris- tic to each element present in the sample - Nondestructive qualitative and quantita- tive determination can be carried out for elements with an atomic number of five (boron) or greater - Detection limits are of the order of 0.2 weight percent, depending on the type of specimen and the elements of interest - Analyses can be undertaken in spot mode or with the electron beam rastered to acquire X-ray element distribution maps of the sample surface • Variable-pressure SEM with EDS makes imaging and X-ray analysis of the sample possible without a conductive coating - This is the only instrument that provides reliable analyses on ever-increasing mixed material piece parts and assemblies (metal/ceramic, etc) - Samples analyzed in a variable-pressure SEM are not destroyed and could be returned to the manufacturing process

Two surface analysis techniques are available:• Scanning Auger electron spectrometry, which is based upon the measurement of the kinetic energies of emitted Auger electrons - Identifies and quantifies elemental compositions of solid surfaces at the first few atomic layers with a sensitivity to 0.5

weight percent for lithium up to uranium. - By sputtering the sample surface with argon ions, a plot of element concentration at various depths can be accomplished w Both techniques are especially useful for bulk and volumetric analysis and for exploring impurities and diffusion present at junctions and grain boundaries• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which is based upon the measurement of the kinetic energies of emitted photoelectrons after bombarding the sample surface with X-rays

Applications• Process characterization• Component failure analysis• Structure property relationships• Characterization of metal alloys, plastics and composite materials• Joining (soldering, brazing and welding) process characterization• Corrosion protection

A scanning electron microscope

A sample within the scanning electron microscope

109

NondestructiveAnalysis

The Kansas City Plant provides a host of methods for analyzing and interrogating materials and devices without causing them any harm. We have excellent capabilities for characterizing flaws and defects in all types of materials and products, examining assembly accuracy, and identifying the contents of devices and containers. Our nondestructive testing engineers are also experienced at creating and procuring specialized turnkey X-ray systems, designed to customer specifications, for stationary and field-portable applications. Some of the Kansas City Plant’s cutting-edge tools include: • Conventional and digital radiography and computed tomography • Microfocus radiography • Magnetic particle and penetrant testing• Borescopy • X-ray fluorescence • Eddy current testing• Ultrasonic testing• Streak camera technology

Features Our radiography facilities operate 14 X-ray machines capable of imaging a broad range of sample sizes. Highlights include: • X-ray energies ranging from 6 KeV to 2 MeV • Image capture using conventional X-ray film or digital imaging plates • Direct generation of an electronic image file from a digital imaging plate or digitized conventional X-ray film to yield high- resolution electronic image files • Two computed tomography machines with X-ray energies of 200 and 420 KeV - Capable of imaging objects that will fit within a cylindrical volume 12” in diameter and 24” high and resolving features as small as 0.005”

• Projection radiography, which can be used for many applications to compensate for inherent limitations of the resolution of many digital-imaging techniques - X-ray tubes with very small focal spots clearly and geometrically magnify the image• A real-time microfocus radiography system that can magnify X-ray images up to 100X, detect objects with dimensions as small as 0.001” and do so while the object, or the parts inside of it, are in motion - Moving images are captured on CCD cameras and recorded for posterity and follow-on analysis

Ultrasonic contour probes to examine materials and parts with complex shapes for voids, discontinuities and other subsurface features

Computed tomography using X-rays and computational tools to reconstruct 3D images of the interiors of devices

110

NondestructiveAnalysis

Our nondestructive testing facilities also include:• Magnetic particle, penetrant and eddy current testing tools to resolve defects in materials and projects that are difficult to identify by other means• Ultrasonic testing tools - Six-axis multichannel systems that operate over a frequency range of 1 to 25 MHz - A scanning acoustic microscope that operates from 1-150 MHz • X-ray fluorescence testing to measure metal coating thicknesses in the range of 0.001” to 0.00001” • Streak camera technology, which involves a high-speed, multi-channel data- acquisition instrument to capture very high-speed signals

ApplicationsNondestructive evaluation tools can be used in a seemingly endless variety of ways. For example:• Radiography and computed tomography can be used to image most materials and products to look for and pinpoint the locations of cracks, voids, foreign materials and the presence or absence of features• Penetrant testing is a sensitive means of locating and characterizing cracks that are open to the surface but may be too small to see with the naked eye • Magnetic particle testing is used to evaluate ferromagnetic products such as high-strength bolts to determine if there are discontinuities in the metal that may affect their strength and service life• Eddy current testing detects cracks, checks weld integrity and measures nonmetallic

coatings on metal substrates• Ultrasonic testing tools are used to: - Examine bar stock and tubing with diameters from 0.5” to 9” and lengths of up to 12 feet - Composite structures for delamination - Perform ultrasonic thickness gauging - Look for cracks and voids in many different types and configurations of materials and products• X-ray fluorescence is useful for looking at electroplated specimens as well as metals deposited using other techniques such as vapor deposition• A streak camera is used to observe events that occur in femtoseconds, or about 1/100 of the time it takes for light to go through a piece of paper. We have extensive experience with operating streak cameras, capturing test data and developing custom software to analyze and manipulate that data.

We develop customized software to analyze the data in streak camera images

111

The Kansas City Plant provides a wide array of dimensional measurement capabilities to meet unique product inspection requirements. These inspection processes include sophisticated, automated coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) that are calibrated using NIST-traceable calibration artifacts. The instruments are operated in secure, humidity- and temperature-controlled laboratory environments.

FeaturesCoordinate Measuring MachinesOur CMMs generate highly accurate measure-ments in two or three dimensions. They can generate any amount of dimensional data required, from one feature and dimensional measurement to hundreds of features and millions of dimensional measurements. These measurements can be obtained on two types of machines:• Contact-type machines - Employ touch probes that contact features at discrete points on their surfaces to generate dimensional data - Can accommodate parts that can be contained in a 78” x 47” x 47” measuring volume - Deliver accuracies in the range of under 100 micro-inches, depending on the overall part size• Noncontact-type machines - Use light in various ways to generate dimensional data on a part or feature without having to touch it with a probe - Can accommodate parts that can be contained in a 24” x 18” x 18” measuring volume - Deliver accuracies better than 100 micro- inches depending on the overall part size

CMMs are operated in laboratory-type facilities with carefully controlled temperature and humidity. These conditions are necessary to ensure that product dimensions are measured at precisely known temperatures and humidities, since CMMs are capable of detecting dimensional changes that occur by virtue of thermal expansion and contraction, as well as those that can arise in nonmetallic materials due to changes in relative humidity.

Information gained from CMMs can be used for routine inspections as well as for complex tolerance analyses, model-based visualizations and reverse engineering studies.

PrecisionMeasurement

Coordinate measuring machines

112

PrecisionMeasurement

Computer ModelsThe Kansas City Plant’s precision measurement engineers can also import computer models of devices into specialized software applications that allow inspection programs to be developed without having any prototype hardware. This capability facilitates faster manufacturing and inspection operations, since an inspection program can be developed and available to use as soon as prototype hardware is manufactured.

ApplicationsPart Measurement VerificationOur precision measurement capabilities combine sophisticated CMMs, innovative computational analysis and expert processes to obtain the most accurate part measurement verification. These measurement methods are often more cost-effective than other, more conventional processes such as gages.

Superior QualityPrecision measurement using CMMs is particularly useful as a quality tool. Examples of everyday products whose quality benefits from precision measurement technology include automobile parts requiring superior fit and finish; camcorders containing a high density of components that must be closely mated; and high-precision assemblies such as fine timepieces. These quality benefits can be easily extended to defense and security applications.

A single-probe CMM, backed with innovative com-putational analysis tools, was used to inspect this high-precision, thin-walled shape.