Phillip Mulligan is trying to make improvised explosive devices more powerful with the idea of eventually making them less deadly.
A graduate student at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Mulligan is researching IEDs in order to gain knowledge about ways to improve blast-resistant armor.
"We are trying to create the best device we can, so we can learn how to develop the best armor possible," Mulligan says.
Missouri S&T offers the only explosives engineering minor in the country, and the university is in the process of getting approval for a master's degree in the field.
Out at a small quarry on campus property, Mulligan is holding a box full of IEDs that he made. For security reasons, he won't let anyone take photos of the small bombs or video them, but he's happy to talk about his research.
Mulligan's IEDs are made of PVC, copper and, of course, explosives. When detonated, the copper plate explodes into shrapnel that flies everywhere. The main slug, though, travels at 6,000 feet per second in a pre-determined direction.
The objective here is to shoot the main slug at an 1,800-pound, three-inch-thick sheet of steel that Mulligan has placed 20 feet away from the IED.
By way of demonstration, Mulligan ties one of his IEDs to three wires that suspend it in the air in front of the target. Then he instructs onlookers to take cover with him behind a protective barrier about 200 feet away. Everybody is wearing safety helmets and ear plugs.
Mulligan shouts "Fire in the hole!" three times. And then a terrifying explosion occurs. Those behind the barricade wait for tiny pieces of hot copper to stop raining from the sky before returning to the blast site.
The IED is gone; there's nothing left of it. The copper shrapnel on the ground around the site is larger than the small pieces that were falling from the sky near the shelter. "This is something we want to study," Mulligan says. "How big is the shrapnel and why? We need to see how it behaves."
But Mulligan is most interested in the sheet of steel, which now features an ugly indention the size of a fist. "This would have cut a person in half," he says.
As part of the research, Mulligan is using high-speed cameras to capture the explosions. One of the cameras, which is protected by a panel of special glass, shoots 10,000 frames per second. The images can be used to determine the speed and behavior of projectiles.
Mulligan re-states that the ultimate goal is to develop new lightweight armor that can protect against powerful IEDs. But, first, he needs to know just how powerful the little bombs can be and what kind of damage they can do. And that's why he's making his own.
Mulligan's research advisor is Dr. Jason Baird, an explosives expert who is an associate professor of mining engineering at Missouri S&T.
"We are trying to perfect our version of the explosive device," Mulligan says.
Just another reason that Missouri S&T is one of the coolest schools to go to in the country.
Unsure if one can ever create armor that will stop everything. Must strike a balance between protection efforts and other fighting capabilities.
EFPs that you are studying are only one type of IED issue. Not an overly large threat at the moment but certainly catastrophic when successfully used.
No matter how much armor is used one can't stop the over pressure of the blast itself. If one uses a large enough explosive charge the over pressure itself is just as deadly, no matter how much armor is used. Perhaps you can add this to your study if you haven't taken it into consideration already.
The EFP's are certianly a huge threat to our men in the field, and we may see the bad guys usuing them elswhere- I just dont want to be specific since we don't need to give them any more ideas. Thanks for keeping photo's and video private...more people need to do the same.
Responding to Eric's comments.
It is true that no armor will ever be completely effective against all threats but to say that they are "Not an overly large threat at the moment," is a gross distortion of reality and an irresponsible generalization. The EFP is a simple design and very effective against all US Military ground vehicles this is not the case with landmines which use over pressurization. Though over pressurization weapons are very deadly threats many of the recent vehicle designs such as the MRAP will protect the soldiers very well from "over pressurization" but NOT EFP'S. The remaining portion of the statement is true; use enough explosive and you armor will fail, this seems a little obvious.
Many different IED's exist on today's battlefield but the EFP has proven to be perhaps the most formidable IED due to its projectile, this component makes is a very worth while area of study. Being a soldier myself I am not nearly as concerned with weapons that utilize primarily a large explosion as I am an EFP. Explosively Formed Penetraters are much more effective, logistically as well as physically.