PROGRESS REPORT FOR JUNE 1958 ON THE REDESIGN OF THE P I CASE RD 45, TASK ORDER I

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03642A001500050002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 25
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: July 28, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
JUNE 1958
ON THE
REDESIGN OF THE P I CASE
RD 145? TASK ORDER I
28 July 1958
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During the early part of the month, a visit was made
to the plastic molder who had previously received our proto-
type. The new case was discussed in some detail and it was shown
that, except for a few minor design charges, the case could be
manufactured as submitted. A tentative assembly drawing of the
new case was received from the molder at the end of the month.
It is not proposed to do any further work on this program as the
scope of work has been completed and the funds are almost ex-
pired. A. final report covering the work performed will be
submitted next month.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract
Expenditures for June 1958
Total Expenditures to 30 June 1958
Balance of Contract
Expiration Date: 8 July 1958
$ 132670.00
108.45
132374.60
295.40
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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
MAY 1958
ON THE
REDESIGN OF THE P1 CASE
RD 115, TASK ORDER I
25 June 1958
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The initial prototype of the new PI Case which had
been shipped to the Project Officer the previous month
was tentatively approved and at his request, a further
prototype, which had been fitted with the necessary clips,
was sent to the plastic molders in New England for their
evaluation. It is proposed to visit this firm early next
month for their opinions with regard to a small pilot
production order on this item.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract
Expenditures for May 1958
Total Expenditures to 31 May 1958
Balance of Contract
Expiration Date: 8 July 1958
$ 13,670.00
86.71
13,266.15
403.85
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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
APRIL 1958
ON
REDESIGN OF Fl CASE
RD 45, TASK ORDER I
20 MAY 1958
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An initial prototype of the new P1 case, with a smooth
base and the double firing system recessed on the upper face,
was delivered during the month. This unit, however, was not
fitted with all the necessary clips and a second more complete
prototype is expected to be ready by the beginning of next
month.
FINANCIAL STATlikENT:
Total Amount of Contract
Expenditures for April 1958
Total Expenditures to 30 April 1958
Balance of Contract
Expiration Date: 8 July 1958
$ 13 , 670 . 00
269.07
13,179.44
490.56
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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
MARCH 1958
ON
REDESIGN OF PI CASE
RD 45, TASK ORDER I
21 April 1958
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Work on this program was temporarily shelved during the month.
It is expected that a prototype with a smooth base and the double firing
system mounted on the upper face will be ready towards the middle of
next month.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract
$13,670.00
Expenditures for March 1958
0.10. OP
Total Expenditures to 31 March 1958
12,910.37
Balance of Contract
759.63
Expiration Date: 6 April 1958
(Applied for extension to 6 July 1958)
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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
FEBRUARY 1958
ON
REDESIGN OF PI CASE
RD 45, TASK ORDER I
1 April 1958
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Two prototypes of the redesigned case were submitted dur?
ing the month for approval. It was noted, however, by the
project officer that there was one failing in the new design
which had been overlooked, namely, that the case could no
longer be set down flat on either side. It was, therefore,
the recommendation by the project officer that we try and
prepare one prototype of a case having all the necessary de?
pressions for the pencils and fire starters on one side and
the reverse side being left smooth. As this decision was made
toward the end of the month, there was only a slight expendi?
ture on the contract.
FUTURE WORK
A prototype will be submitted containing the firing de?
vices located on one side of the PI case and the reverse side
being left smooth in order that the case can be left in close
contact with any substrata upon which it is placed.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract $13,670.00
Expenditures for February 1958 $ 200.36
Total Expenditures to 28 February 1958 $12,910.37
Balance of Contract $ 759.63
Expiration Date: 6 April 1958
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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
JANUARY 1958
REDESIGN OF THE PI CASE
RD-45, TASK ORDER I
25 February 1958
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A sufficiently large number of redesigned nitrocellulose PI
cases were molded and fitted with incendiary units to establish
the compatibility of the design with the attached mechanisms.
However, a surveillance study indicated that the plastic clip
holding the pencil to the case softened after several hours at
a temperature of 1650F, thereby permitting the pencil to be dis-
lodged from the case by mechanical shock. Rather than substitute
spring metal or metal-filled plastic materials for the nitrocellu-
lose clips, it was suggested by the Project Officer that a molded
nitrocellulose strap be cemented across the cavity holding the
fire-starter. This strap, in conjunction with the existing clip
holding the incendiary unit, would hold the fire-starter firmly
in the cavity even if the pencil were hanging free of the PI
case. Several cases, equipped with this modification, will be
submitted for final approval.
A comparative investigation of methods for filling the
PI cases with M1 napalm was initiated. Direct mixing of the
hydrocarbon and thickener inside the case resulted in an impro-
perly dispersed gel, despite the fact that the recommended pro-
cedure and elapsed time of mixing was followed. The use of trans-
parent cases for this operation gave visual evidence of stratifi-
cation in the mixture, showing agglomerates of dry napalm sus-
pended in gelled thickener. Internal mixing of the thickener
without agitation developed a gelled barrier separating raw
hydrocarbon and dry napalm. These phenomena were exhibited in
gels of 7%, 8% and 9% M1 napalm in Stoddard solvent.
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An alternate procedure for loading the cases by pressure in-
jection of the gelled napalm through a capillary tube inserted
to the deepest portion of the case was found to be a superior
technique. In this process, the gel was forced into the lowest
recess of the case until the material extruded from the vent
space between the outer wall of the capillary tube and the
opening in the top of the case. This accomplished the absence
of air bubbles from the case, while withdrawal of the capillary
tube left a void approximating the required 5% outage. Since the
napalm had been well mixed and gelled before injection, no evi-
dence of stratification was apparent.
The injection technique was found to he mechanically
limited to the use of Reis having a concentration of 0 napalm
or less. A volume of 180 cubic centimeters of 8% napalm in a
redesigned VI case was found to have a nominal burning time of
eleven minutes. This may be compared to a burning time of
nearly 15 minutes for 165 cc. of 8.7% napalm contained in the
present PI case. However, it is believed that the napalm used in
the injection studies may have been altered by ?long-term storage;
repetition is in process with comparatively "fresh" napalm.
FUTURE WORK
Studies of injection loading of the PI, cases will be re-
peated in order to substantiate recommendations pertinent to
napalm concentrations and burning time.
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FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract
Expenditures for January 1958
Total Expenditures to 31 January 1958
Balance of Contract
$13,670.00
$ 3,228.38
$12,710.01
$ 959.99
Expiration Date: 6 April 1958
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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
DECEMBER 1957
ON
REDESIGN OF THE PT CASE
RD-45, TASK ORDER I
8 JANUARY 1958
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A laboratory process for swaging nitrocellulose sheet was
developed which produced plastic moldings of the desired shape
with depression for accommodation of the firing mechanism. Pres-
sure molding was performed under the surface of a water-glycerine
mixture at 102?C with the use of a hand-operated, screw-driven
press. The male-female molds were planed to tolerances which
precluded stretching or folding in the cast sheet. In addition,
the head on the perimeter of the casting was automatically
flattened to improve the surface for bonding. A jig was construc-
ted to hold the bonding surfaces of the two case halves under
pressure, while they were in process of being cemented with a
slow-setting nitrocellulose cement.
A molded nitrocellulose clip was designed which would firm-
ly hold a fire-starter in the PI case surface cavity, permitting
ignition of the incendiary unit either by fu7e or attached pencil
At present, a second clip is being designed to effectively attach
the pencil to the case.
FUTURE WORK
On completion of the assembly of the prototype units, a
study will be made to determine the most efficient method of
filling the case with napalm.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract 513,670.00
Expenditures for December 1957 $ 3,096.96
Total Expenditures to 31 December 1957 $ 9,493.76
Balance of Contract 5 4,176.24
Expiration Date: 6 April 1958
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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
NOVEMBER 1957
ON
REDESIGN OF THE PI CASE
RD-45 TASK ORDER I
13 DECEMBER 1957
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The techniques described In earlier progress reports
for molding nitrocellulose sheet by solvent vapor softening
and thermal extrusion were abandoned as unsatisfactory. A
more efficient method was developed in which the molding process
was performed under a water-glycerin solution maintained at a
temperature of 100-102? C. This process yielded castings which
did not display clouding, crazing or stretching in clear nitro-
cellulose.
Tentative approval of the basic design was given by the
Project Officer on the basis of his inspection of a replica
casting of the case.
FUTURE WORK
Several PI cases will be made from the black nitrocellu-
lose sheet, fitted with nitrocellulose clips for attaching the
pencils and fire-starters and will be submitted for final ap-
proval of the design.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract $13,670.00
Expenditures for November 1957 $ 1,864.15
Total Expenditures to 30 November 1957 $ 6,396.80
Balance of Contract $ 7,273.20
Expiration Date: 6 April 1958
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PROGRESS REPORT
for
OCTOBER 1957
on
REDESIGN OF THE P1 CASE
RD-88, TASK ORDER I
21 November 1957
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,
A plaster model of the redesigned incendiary unit, as
illustrated in the Progress Report of September, 1957, was
constructed according to the finalized dimensions. A male
Yirkeite mold was cast from this model, which in turn was
used in casting a female mold of aluminum filled Epoxy resin.
In the casting operation, an inert, removable coating was
spread on the surface of the male mold to a depth of 0.035"
before the resin-metal mixture was poured into the mold.
This operation produced final molds which, when nested, dis-
played similar contours differing by 0.035", i.e., the thick-
ness of the final nitrocellulose molded item.
Initial attempts to form nitrocellulose castings for
the incendiary case were made by pressing sheets of 0.030"
thick nitrocellulose in the molds at a temperature of 100-
11000.- The molds were held between the electrically heated
platens of a hydraulic press. Pressure was continuously
applied throughout the operation; that is, as the softened
nitrocellulose was extruded into the mold cavity, gauge
pressure was held constant by maintaining continuous motion
of the ram.
Castings produced by this technique were found to be
thin at the shoulders and at the deepest portion of recessed
curved surfaces. This apparent stretching of the nitro-
cellulose indicated insufficient softening of the plastic,
but further increase in the molding temperature was un-
warranted in view of the proximity of the ignition tempera-
ture.
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As an alternate approach to the molding of nitrocellu-
lose, the sheet was softened in acetone vapor before the
extrusion process was attempted. This technique eliminated
the hazards encountered in thermal molding, but introduced
the necessity of carefully controlling the time interval
of vapor phase treatment to prevent crazing or clouding of
the plastic. In addition, it may be found necessary to
"water dry" the molded cases made according to this method
In order to remove entrained solvent. A study of this pro-
cedure is currently in process.
FUTURE WORK
It is planned that several prototype cases will be pre-
pared, using the black nitrocellulose recently obtained
from the manufacturer of the old PI case. These engineer-
ing prototypes will be assembled for the purpose of deter-
mining the changes in geometry, if any, which may be neces-
sary before submitting a final design.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract $13,670.00
Expenditures for October 1957 2,418.91
Total Expenditures to 31 October 1957 4,532.65
Balance of Contract 9,137.35
Expiration Date: 6 April 1958
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PROGRESS REPORT
FOR
SEPTEMBER 1957
ON
REDESIGN OF THE PI CASE
RD 45 ? Task Order I
8 October 1957
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An initial attempt to modify the PI case for use with an M-1
pencil, fitted with a coupling base, was made by locating the assem-
bled unit (pencil, coupling base and fire-starter) recessed diagonal-
ly in the faces of a plaster mock up case. This method required a
considerable increase in the length of the unit in addition to intro-
ducing undesirable projections on the major surfaces.
In order to overcome the excessive length of the complete
firing mechanism, the use of a flexible connection between the
coupling base and the fire-starter was investigated. A study was
first performed on this type of system, in which the coupling bases
were connected to the fire-starters with different lengths of 1/8"
ID Tygon tubing. Ignition was accomplished both when the coupling
base and the fire-starter were in a straight line and also when the
tube was bent through a radius of 1/2". Angular displacement of
the fire-starter and coupling base was then increased to 360P without
failure in ignition. In a single experiment, successful ignition
resulted by transfer through a Tygon helix of 1" diameter and 2 1/2
revolutions. A total of eleven remote ignition transfers, without
failure, have been made at ambient temperature.
These encouraging results led to a design as shown in Figure I
using the dimensions of the old case. For the purpose of enhancing
reliability of ignition of the nitrocellulose case, it was believed
that embedding the fire-starter on the face might be desirable. The
pencil and fire starter are then parallel to each other, connected
by a semi-circular section of Tygon tubing (see Figure 2). Since
the fire-starter was seated in the depression on the surface of
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the case, it was necessary to locate these units on opposite faces,
and opposite ends of the nitrocellulose case, in order to present
the maximum surface for ignition. This location permits the manu-
facture of identical halves of the case from one mold.
The projecting flange on the coupling base creates a design
problem. This could be overcome by removing the threaded flange
on the coupling base, cutting it down to the diameter of the pencil.
It would avoid providing two cavities in the case and would permit
simpler molding and better sealing of the two halves of the case.
FUTURE WORK
Initial thermoplastic prototypes will be hand-made to further
study the design and molding problems. Present arrangements will
be submitted to the project officer for evaluation.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Total Amount of Contract
,Expenditures for September, 1957
Total Expenditures to 30 September 1957
Balance of Contract
Expiration Date - 6 April 1958
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$13,670.00
1,862.20
2,113.74
11,556.26
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