CAREFUL DIETS FOR MISSILES

for food for the hungry bellies of rockets and missiles their diets are critical the big jobs eat a lot and mixing it by hand isn't good enough anymore it's slow risky pass a [Music] too scale and thol teamed up to build new kitchens automated batch mix facilities to prepare careful diets automatically on a Utah desert the most modern Concept in America took shape control consoles with graphic displays solid state circuitry button logic color coding interlocks and failsafe devices to do a big job with care and precision it's done with speed accuracy uniformity safety the food is ugly yet beautiful full of muscle the strength of a Nation it feeds multi-million pound thrust boosters it's called solid propellent solid propellant is made in three stages first aluminum powder and polymer binder are Blended to form a premix second various sized particles of ammonium perchlorate form an oxidizer third the oxidizer and premix are Blended at a Final Mix station where an epoxy curing agent is added each production stage is handled in a separate building first stage premix highly crucial because aluminum powder is the fuel in the final solid propellant the container carries 5,000 lb of aluminum powder mean cantankerous so hard to handle that only a specially designed feeder could harness it a premix container is positioned beneath the discharge point the rest of the operation is remotely controlled green lights mean go batch number formula number date time and required weight are loged polymer a binding agent is fed from storage tanks through heat traced pipes to maintain constant viscosity the premix container receiving the polymer rests on a special load cell platform programmed to measure only net weight all feedings in the entire system are on a two-speed basis P fast and dribble load cells signal the feeder a tolerance check for near Perfection then read out of weight and tank number from which it was drawn now an automatic advancement to aluminum which is also weighed into the premix can the small amount of powder in suspension is considered at final cutof the weight of aluminum is checked for accuracy against programmed top an if sufficiently accurate it is recorded aluminum and polymer are Blended thoroughly ceiling avoids contamination formula number and batch characteristics follow the premix container to the Final Mix building the second stage preparing the oxidizer in a remote building various particle sizes of ammonium perchlorate similar to granulated and powdered sugar are conveyed to bins above a way Hopper the entire operation is controlled and monitored remotely way Hopper and check scale are zeroed and the information is loged each material is weighed in turn on an analog to digital scale system fast then dribble and check for proper tolerance the materials are individually emptied into a transfer bin resting on a check scale where a final tolerance check is made there accumulated weight is logged and the oxidizer is ready for delivery to Final Mix the third and last production stage here oxidizer is combined with the premix and an epoxy curing agent is added because of the need for massive quantities of fuel there are four Final Mix operations each in a separate building all are controlled and monitored from a remote Master Control Center by one man the operations are controlled by preset formula boards variations can be made in weights ratios tolerances sequences and mix cycle for almost unlimited flexibility closed circuit television monitors each premix operation oxidizer in a sealed container is placed on a specially designed elevator and tilting fixture and positioned onto a feeder weights of the container feeder and tilt mechanism are subtracted leaving only the weight of the oxidizer available to to the control panel epoxy is pressure fed to a scale Hopper volumetrically then weighed into the mixer on a loss in weight principle finally the premix load cells check its weight against the data on the card it also discharges on loss of weight method temperatures are maintained by controlled heat in a water [Applause] jacket all ingredients are in [Music] place and the building is cleared a safety warning signal is set the final mixing operation cannot begin until a Personnel key unlocks the master control console quality control sheets from the oxidizer and premix batches are used in preparing the Final Mix log sheet before the operation can begin all components must be within tolerance when all stations are go the operator touches the start button batch and formula numbers date time and other quality control information is logged the oxidizer weight is sensed the scale is zeroed and flow begins the oxidizer is dynamically screened to prohibit contamination then delivered into the mixer the system makes a tolerance check and the weight is logged as the premix begins to flow mixing begins [Music] automatically again again a tolerance check and a log entry after a preset mixing time blending stops and epoxy is carefully added in a precise [Music] amount more mixing until the batch has reached the correct homogenous mass at any time the system can be switched to manual control should a nogo situation occur because of malfunction or out of Tolerance condition the quality control operator will decide to reject the batch or bring it within manufacturing limits the safety key over rides the automatic program this batch is recorded in red the manufacturer receives a complete log of all materials accurate to within one part in 10,000 on loads up to 3,000 lb a careful diet in 2 and 1/2 hours a little more than half the time formerly [Music] required solid propellant a meticulous food for giant monolithic space boosters ready to protect the nation or send Vehicles hurtling into space to find the promise of tomorrow [Music]