Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are working to extend the life of the W80 thermonuclear warhead. The National Nuclear Security Administration recently approved plans to refurbish certain components and the proposed approach to estimating the costs of parts. Once refurbished, it will be paired with a cruise missile the US Air Force is developing.

The main problem for the researchers is that some components and materials cannot be replaced in the same way that they were first made. The main explosive charge needs replacing but the original high-explosive constituents are unavailable and must be reconstituted. Several of the replacement parts are being 3D printed to improve quality and reduce cost.

To ensure the 3D printed parts will do their job properly, the researchers did some full-scale non-nuclear hydrodynamic experiments in 2016. They are also doing material-aging and compatibility experiments to ensure that the 3D printed material will meet the system’s performance requirements.

The researchers must ensure the warhead is: safe enough to not explode by itself; secure, in that it can’t be set off without formal permissions, and effective, all without conducting a full-scale explosive nuclear test. Computing programming has evolved to allow 2D modelling to move to 3D modelling, with a special focus on quantifying uncertainties, lessening the dependence on approximations that was required during the nuclear testing era. Hundreds of tests and experiments are currently underway at LLNL and its experimental test site.

The program will go into its next phase in 2019, where researchers will test individual components to ensure they will meet military requirements. LLNL has already hired more than 100 scientists, engineers and technicians in 2018. It’s surely an exciting time in the lab for them.

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