Failure Study of Escape Aid Explosive Cartridge During Life Assessment Trials

ABSTRACT The objective of research paper describes the failure study of escape-aid explosive (EAX) cartridges that failed during life assessment trials (LAT). The EAX cartridges serve as a critical component that is responsible for converting energetic materials into combustible gaseous products. The cartridges under study provide a delay between the trainer and trainee during the ejection of the seat in an adverse situation. Failure investigation plays an important role in the design and development cycle of EAX cartridges. The novelty in this research is that it attempts to carry out the failure study of the EAX cartridge during LAT. Failures of such devices lead to consequences involving missile launching, seat ejection, harness, bomb release, etc. This research paper focuses on the failure study of EAX cartridges for pilot seat ejection, methodologies for identifying root causes, and solutions for preventive and corrective actions to avoid the recurrence of such failures in the future. By applying a failure study in a systematic way, it is possible to identify the underlying causes of EAX cartridge failures and improve safety measures, reducing the risk of catastrophic failures during ejections. Failure investigation, when applied to the EAX cartridge in ejection seats, helps to identify failures that compromise the pilot’s safety or cause malfunctions in complex systems. From the study, it was inferred that failure of EAX cartridge during life trial might be attributed to improper functioning of cap.