Abstract
Corrosion of the red phosphorus smoke grenades occurred while being stored in Europe. The items were shipped back to the U.S. for the failure analysis. The grenades were stored in spiral-wrapped fiber tubes. The grenades had the red phosphorus smoke ingredients removed so the analysis could proceed. The failed grenades were photographed and disassembled to determine the cause of the corrosion. Discussions with the manufacturing personnel lead to the inspection of the seal that assembles the top plate to the rest of the grenade. A metallurgical cross-section of the crimp and the adjacent corrosion showed the crimp was inadequate. The inadequate crimp allowed the more corrosive ingredients of the smoke mix to migrate to the outside of the grenade and initiate the corrosion. The inadequate crimp also allowed moisture and air to migrate inside the grenade resulting in corrosion on the internal surfaces.
