Areas of expertise

  • Defence manufacturing
  • Explosives and Munitions
  • Weapons Engineering

Background

A research chemist active in the field of energetic materials and ordnance science and technology with over 20 years' experience in the life assessment and formulation of propellants and explosives.

Senior Chemist at ROXEL (UK Rocket Motors) Ltd and visiting Fellow within the Propellant Research Group, ߣߣÊÓƵ Defence and Security.

Research opportunities

Applications are invited for self-funded PhD students interested in the application of solid propellant chemistry and material science.

Current activities

My research focus is in understanding the mechanistic relationships of raw ingredient specification and formulation processes; and life assessment of propellants to validate and verify materials and physical/chemical ageing models. I have a particular interest in nitrocellulose (NC) and NC based formulations.

Current areas of interest/work

Formulation - ResonantAcoustic Mixing (RAM)

Formulation - Nitrocellulose processing for rocket propellant manufacture

Formulation - Solid propellant bond-line adhesion

Life Assessment - Nitrocellulose chemical decomposition mechanisms

Life Assessment - Nitrocellulose mechanical properties

Combustion - Lead-free ballistic modifiers for rocket propellants

Current grad students

Alonso ROMERO-JABALQUINTO - Nitrocellulose propellant investigation

Kharisma YAHAYA - Study of Double Base Propellants Modified with Graphene

Jacopo Aldrigo BONIFACIO - Additive Manufacture of Energetic Materials

Former grad students

Dr Colum O'CONNOR - Co-crystallisation of energetic materials

Dr Andrew CLAYDON - Resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) of high explosives

Dr Peter WILKINSON - Evaluation of Novel Propellants Manufactured from Commercially Available Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) using Resonant Acoustic Mixing

Dr Erick GALANTE - Simulation of environmental effects of open burning of explosives

Dr Nathan FLOOD - Cast Double base propellant studies

Dr Robert HUDSON - Reduced Sensitivity (RS) RDX

Dr James TUCKER - A whole life assessment of extruded double base rocket propellants

Scientific Committee: International Nitrocellulose Symposium

Deputy Secretary: RSC - Formulation Science and Technology interest group

Publications

Articles In Journals

Conference Papers

Books