GoDetect^TM (Patent #9,202,145) was developed at Safety Management Services, Inc. (SMS) to facilitate reaction detection during sensitivity testing with all types of equipment. The software solution coupled with a Phantom high-speed camera results in

• Significant reduction in test time
• Reduction or Elimination of operator subjectivity of reaction determination
• Immediate replay of test
• High-speed test videos recorded and stored
• Quantified reaction results documented (for GoDetect-ESD^TM)
• Test data that can yield machine variability or drift (for GoDetect-ESD^TM)
• Test data can be used to obtain material variability or drift (for GoDetect-ESD^TM)
• A summary of the reaction probability.

GoDetect-ESD

GoDetect-ESD^TM was developed at Safety Management Services, Inc. (SMS) to facilitate the reaction detection during sensitivity testing with the ABL-ESD test machine.

Use of GoDetect-ESD^TM results in

• Significant reduction in test time
• Reduction or Elimination of operator subjectivity of reaction determination
• High-speed test videos recorded and stored
• Quantified reaction results documented
• Test data that can yield machine variability or drift
• Test data can be used to obtain material variability or drift
• A summary of the reaction probability

In the past, operators would make a determination of whether or not a trial at a given ESD energy resulted in a Go or No-Go. An operator’s determination was subjective and could not be quantified. With GoDetect-ESD^TM a quantified determination of the trial result is obtained from image analysis that compares multiple image properties of the trial to multiple background (no material present) runs. The four indicators used to quantify the light emitted are

• Brightness
• Buoyancy
• Shape
• Uniformity

A linear combination of each of the quantified indicators is used to characterize a trial. At least twenty-five background trails at each energy level are recorded and analyzed. The summarized quantified information from the background runs are used to determine whether or not a trial run is a Go or a No-Go reaction. That is, the linear combination of the four above quantified indicators of the trial run is compared against the background data to yield a Go or a No-Go indication.

The GoDetect-ESD^TM software is a Labview based stand-alone program that can analyze high-speed images in the CINE file format. The CINE file format was developed by Vision Research (http://www.visionresearch.com). The basic steps for completing testing are

• Setup Camera
• Collect Background Runs at Given ESD Energy
• Complete Trial Runs at Given ESD Energy

The systematic order used to file the high-speed video data files is useful for future reviewing of results or re-analysis of past results. When the program is run, summary files of the background data and trial results are created, filed and easily accessed.

The GoDetect-ESD^TM system has been successfully tested with various energetic materials not limited to smokeless powders, black powder, flash powders, PETN, and ammonium perchlorate.

GoDetect-ESD Advanced

GoDetect-ESD^TM Advanced analyzes the data files produced by GoDetect-ESD^TM to yield valuable information about the material, testing results, and ESD machine. From the generated summary files (for both background and trial shots) the following analysis can be performed:

• Machine variability and potential drift
• Substance variability and potential drift
• Type I and Type II error
• PROBIT plots

Evaluation of the machine variability and potential drift over time can indicate a potential problem with a machine component or indicate cyclical variations. With the Advanced software package, the information from the background data from each test day for each energy level is plotted with the click of a button for easy review. Likewise, an analysis giving the sensitivity of a given material as a function of time may indicate a shift in the material’s characteristics.

Type I and Type II error are an indication of the reliability of the data obtained with the GoDetect-ESD^TM software system. Type I error is the probability of a No-Go reaction being identified as a Go reaction whereas Type II error is an indication of the opposite. Knowing the Type I and II errors give an indication of the accuracy of the reaction determination as a function of the material tested. Coupling the Type I and Type II error reports with a PROBIT or other reactivity assessment can lead to better extrapolation of the reaction probability when applied to in-process risk evaluations.

A PROBIT plots the stimulus energy versus the probability of a reaction. PROBIT plots are used when comparing different samples or for comparing in-process energies to the material response to evaluate the associated in-process risk. The PROBIT analysis is conveniently given in an Excel spreadsheet which is automatically completed upon execution of GoDetect-ESD^TM Advanced.

GoDetect-View

The GoDetect-View^TM software (Patent 9202145) is designed to function with any type of sensitivity equipment. Coupled with a Phantom high-speed camera, the GoDetect-
View software gives the user the ability to easily scroll through captured high-speed video frames to determine if a recorded reaction is a Go or a No-Go. Once the user has determined the reaction (No-Go, Go-Light, Go-Sound, Go-Smoke) the software takes the user’s input and documents the reaction determination. The software also generates the necessary storage folders to systematically file the high-speed video for future retrieval or re-analysis. The functionality to easily generate PROBIT plots from the documented results is also included.