Pulsed Power Experience
In the 1970s, a major focus of the nuclear weapons field was to better understand and model nuclear weapons effects so that aboveground testing with pulsed power simulators could eventually replace underground nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site. The Material Response Impact Facility enabled scientists to study how materials react when subjected to a variety of harsh environments, using facilities and equipment specifically designed to accommodate a wide range of explosive, airblast, radiation, and impact tests.
Ktech operated the Materials Response Impact
Facility at Kirtland Air Force Base. |
Early on, Ktech became a leader in developing techniques and sensors to reliably measure and model dynamic material properties -- measurements of effects that last less than a millionth of a second. We operated the Material Response Impact Facility and designed, maintained and calibrated all instrumentation, designed and fabricated control and data acquisition systems, test instruments, and stress-strain gauges. This expertise, combined with the company's growing reputation, led to additional opportunities with Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).
