On November 07, 2023 the Explosives Research Department (B2) of the Military Institute of Armament Technology (MIAT) hosted a delegation from Finland. The delegation included representatives of the EXPLOSIVES CENTER PRODUCTION DIVISION institute in Nijnisalo and
a representative of the RAIKKA OY plant producing explosives-containing products. The delegation was led by Major Lauri Yli-Perttula. The theme of the visit was to learn about the B2 research capabilities in explosives testing. The program of the visit was agreed with the delegation’s representative in advance in a working mode. After welcoming the guests, the Head of MIAT’s International Cooperation Department (Tomasz Wojciechowski) gave a presentation on the Institute’s achievements to date and current directions. Then the Head of the B2 (Dr. Eng. Agata Kamienska-Duda) discussed the main topics of the work carried out at the B2 she heads. The next three speeches were examples of such work. The first dealt with the problems of testing of spectacle pyrotechnic products. The second concerned issues related to the testing of products containing explosives for international transportation. The third speech presented the results of work carried out by the facility within the framework of the European Defense Agency project. Each presentation was followed by a discussion on the topic presented.
Another point of the visit was a presentation of the explosives testing laboratory. The following test stations were presented, among others:
- HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) for the identification and quantification of explosives components,
- DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) for measuring thermal changes in the test substance with controlled temperature increase,
- TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) for measuring the change in mass of a sample under a specific temperature regime.
In addition, on the guests’ request, an X-ray diagnostic system was presented. It is used primarily for checking the correctness of ammunition assembly and the presence of physical defects in explosives (e.g. foreign bodies, discontinuities).
Also the advanced training system ŚNIEŻNIK was presented to the guests. It allows conducting fire training with various types of weapons to virtual targets appearing on the screen, along with realistic acoustic effects.
In the next point of the meeting, the guests gave two presentations. The first concerned the EXPLOSIVES CENTER PRODUCTION DIVISION institute in Nijnisalo and the munitions research conducted there. The second presentation focused on products manufactured at the RAIKKA OY plant in Eurajoki.
In a discussion summarizing the meeting, both sides assessed the visit as very fruitful. They expressed their desire to cooperate in the field of explosives research. The chairman of the Finnish delegation invited representatives of WITU to visit their institute. The date of the visit will be agreed in
a working mode.
Note: B. Krysinski
Photos: A. Hrynkiewicz