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Center tests components for reliability

  • Published
  • By G. A. Volb
  • Ogden Air Logistics Center Public Affairs
Better known to the locals as Little Mountain, the Survivability and Vulnerability Integration Center's main customer is the 526th ICBM Systems Wing at Hill, primarily providing "hardness" testing - reliability of components in missile systems.

The importance is obvious; aircraft, missiles or individual systems disintegrating under the rigors brought on by flight or thrust, simply isn't an option when it comes to national security. And the high-end tests run by the SVIC ensure systems work as designed.

The answers, both good and bad, provide essential feedback to engineers and maintainers trying to ensure the missiles are viable, even under extreme circumstances such as a close proximity nuclear blast. Deterrence, of course, isn't much of an ally if systems break down during an attack. So, the engineers at Little Mountain do their part to ensure that won't happen.

"Shields in the weapon's system are designed to protect components during flight," said Mike Shafer, test center coordinator and general engineer. "We just make sure they, and the components themselves, work as advertised. We even go as far as testing redundant backup systems."

Mr. Shafer said Little Mountain can test all components from the third stage up - including the guidance system, propulsion system and bulkhead - and simulate the liftoff environment in such detail that the missile "thinks" it's in the air. Thus, systems react - or are supposed to react -- as if they were in a real-world situation.

"We also check electromagnetic compatibility and susceptibility," said Mr. Shafer. "Again, to ensure all the systems and modifications to those systems perform as designed when faced with electromagnetic influences."

Two techniques are generally used to determine reliability, or hardness: shock and vibration, and radiation testing.

"There are several ways to test shock and vibration," he said. "We can use different platforms to perform electromagnetic, hydraulic, pneumatic, air blast overpressure and even explosive simulations."

On the radiation side, he said, "we can test how gamma, electromagnetic and neutron radiation affects components - all at various levels of intensity and exposure time."

Many of the engineers who work these stringent tests have physics backgrounds, and see the work as one of the unique ways to apply what they learned in college.

"I maintain, adjust and operate a very large X-Ray machine that is used to test weapon system components to ensure they'll work properly in similar environments," said Mr. John Law, a large flash X-Ray physicist. "We can produce some 5-million volts and 100,000 amps during a test, and the test can be done in a shot pulse of less than 50 nanoseconds."

Hidden behind locked doors, concrete and lead each test goes down with safety a priority, since anyone present anywhere in the test chamber would undoubtedly receive a fatal dose of radiation.

"I really enjoy the work I do," said Mr. Law, a native of Ogden and graduate of Weber St. University. "Not only is it satisfying from a technical standpoint, it's gratifying to know that the work you do is a small but important piece of weapon system testing."