Keo has worked at LLNL for 25 years and performs research in energetic materials. He is a subject matter expert in energetics modeling and has over 100 publications. Under his leadership, advanced safety and performance models for conventional and printed explosives at multiple length-scales have been developed and experimentally validated in LLNL hydrocodes. He enjoys working at LLNL where national security intersects science and engineering.

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA (Topic: Mesoscale Modeling of Explosively-Driven Spall in a Heterogeneous Two Phase Material)

M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA

Selected Publications

Springer, H.K., Miller, C.M., Kroonblawd, M.P., Bastea, S., Simulating the effects of grain surface morphology on hot spots in HMX with surrogate model development. Prop., Explos., Pyrotech. 2023, 48(4), e202200139. https://doi.org/10.1002/prep.202200139

B.W. Hamilton, M.P. Kroonblawd, J. Macatangay, H.K. Springer, A. Strachan, Intergranular Hotspots: A Molecular Dynamics Study on the Influence of Compressive and Shear Work, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2023 127 (20), 9858-9870, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c01197

M.P. Kroonblawd & H.K. Springer, Predicted Melt Curve and Liquid Shear Viscosity of RDX up to 30 GPa, Prop., Explos., Pyrotech. 2022, 47, e202100328.

C.M. Miller & H.K. Springer, Probabilistic effects of porosity and chemical kinetics on the shock initiation of an octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) based explosive", Journal of Applied Physics 129, 215104 (2021)  https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0049122

Springer, H.K., Bassett, W.P., Bastea, S., Stekovic, S., and Tarver, C.M., Modeling Hot Spot Experiments on Shocked Octahydro‐1,3,5,7‐Tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐Tetrazocine. Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics, 45(2), pp. 330-337 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/prep.201900195

Springer, H.K., Bastea, S., Nichols III, A.L., Tarver, C.M. and Reaugh, J.E., Modeling The Effects of Shock Pressure and Pore Morphology on Hot Spot Mechanisms in HMX. Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics, 43(8), pp.805-817 (2018).https://doi.org/10.1002/prep.201880801

Gambino, J.R., Tarver, C.M. and Springer, H.K., Numerical parameter optimizations of the Ignition and Growth model for a HMX plastic bonded explosive. Journal of Applied Physics, 124(19), p.195901 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5052339

Reaugh, J.E., White, B.W., Curtis, J.P. and Springer, H.K., A Computer Model to Study the Response of Energetic Materials to a Range of Dynamic Loads. Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics, 43(7), pp.703-720 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1002/prep.201700287

Austin, R.A., Springer, H.K. and Fried, L.E., Grain-scale simulation of shock initiation in composite high explosives. Chapter in Energetic Materials (pp. 243-270). Springer, Cham. (2017).

Springer, H.K., Sullivan, K.T., Gambino, J.R., White, B.W., Bastea, S., Reeves, R.V., Gash, A.E., High explosive additive manufacturing modeling: Overview, gaps, and new frontiers, JANNAF PEDCS Workshop on Additive Manufacturing of Energetic Systems, (2017).

Willey, T.M., Lauderbach, L., Gagliardi, F., van Buuren, T., Glascoe, E.A., Tringe, J.W., Lee, J.R., Springer, H.K. and Ilavsky, J., "Mesoscale evolution of voids and microstructural changes in HMX-based explosives during heating through the β-δ phase transition." J. Appl. Phys. 118, 055901 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4927614

Springer, H. K., Tarver, C. M., Reaugh, J. E., May, C. M., “Investigating short-pulse shock initiation in HMX-based explosives with reactive meso-scale simulations”, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 500 052041 (2014). DOI 10.1088/1742-6596/500/5/052041

Tringe, J.W., Kercher, J.R., Springer, H.K., Glascoe, E.A., Levie, H.W., Hsu, P., Willey, T.M. and Molitoris, J.D., “Numerical and experimental study of thermal explosions in LX-10 and PBX 9501: Influence of thermal damage on deflagration processes, J. Appl. Phys. 28 July 2013; 114 (4): 043504. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4813518

H.K. Springer, E.A. Glascoe, J.E. Reaugh, J.R. Kercher, J.L. Maienschein; Mesoscale modeling of deflagration-induced deconsolidation in polymer-bonded explosives. AIP Conf. Proc. 29 March 2012; 1426 (1): 705–708. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3686376

Springer, H.K., Leininger, L.D., Nichols, A.L., Reaugh, J.E., Stanfield, J.A., Neidert, J.B., “Benchmarking ALE3D modeling with US Army burn-to-violent-reaction sub-scale rocket motor impact experiments”, Proceedings of the JANNAF 27th PSHS Joint Subcommittee Meeting (2012).

E.A. Glascoe, P.C. Hsu, H.K. Springer, M.R. DeHaven, N. Tan, H.C. Turner, The response of the HMX-based material PBXN-9 to thermal insults: Thermal decomposition kinetics and morphological changes, Thermochimica Acta, 515 (1-2) 2011, 58-66, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tca.2010.12.021

Lowdermilk, W.H., Rubenchik, A.M. and Springer, H.K.,. Feasibility of High-Power Diode Laser Array Surrogate to Support Development of Predictive Laser Lethality Model, DEPS Conference, (2011)

Springer, H. K., Willey, T. M., Friedman, G., Vandersall, K. S., Baer, M. R., “Mesoscale modeling of LX-17 under isentropic compression”, 14th Int. Det. Symp. 1137 (2011).

Springer, H. K., Miller, W. O., Levatin, J. L., Pertica, A. J., and Olivier, S. S., Satellite collision modeling with physics-based hydrocodes: Debris generation predictions of the iridium-cosmos collision event, Proceedings of the 11th Annual AMOS Conference, (2010)

D.M. Goto, R. Becker, T.J. Orzechowski, H.K. Springer, A.J. Sunwoo, C.K. Syn, Investigation of the fracture and fragmentation of explosively driven rings and cylinders, International Journal of Impact Engineering, 35 (12), 2008, 1547-1556, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2008.07.081

H.K. Springer, Mesoscale Modeling of Spall in a Heterogeneous Two-Phase Material, University of California at Davis, PhD Dissertation

Patents

US 9586704B2, US20130124174A1, US Patent App. 17/326,863

Keo is the recipient of the NNSA Defense Programs Award as well as multiple LLNL SD, GS, and PLS Directorate Awards.