Glass bead size and morphology characteristics in support of Crystal Mist field experiments

One of the tasks of the Lethality Group within US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command (USASSDC) is the development of a capability to simulate various missile intercept scenarios using computer codes. Currently under development within USASSDC and its various contractor organizations is a group of codes collected under a master code called PEGEM for Post Event Ground Effects Model. Among the various components of the code are modules which are used to predict atmospheric dispersion and transport of particles or droplets following release at the altitude specified in the missile intercept scenario. The atmospheric transport code takes into account various source term data from the intercept such as: initial cloud size; droplet or particle size distribution; and, total mass of agent released. An ongoing USASSDC experimental program termed Crystal Mist involved release of precision glass beads under various altitude and meteorological conditions to assist in validation and refinement of various codes that are components of PEGEM used to predict particle atmospheric transport and diffusion following a missile intercept. Here, soda-lime glass beads used in the Crystal Mist series of atmospheric transport and diffusion tests were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and automated image processing routines in order to fully define their size distributions and morphology. Four bead size classifications ranging from a median count diameter of 45 to 200 micrometers were found to be approximately spherical and to fall within the supplier`s sizing specifications. Log-normal functions fit to the measured size distributions resulted in geometric standard deviations ranging from 1.08 to 1.12, thereby fulfilling the field trial requirements for a relatively narrow bead size distribution