Exploring DDESB Acceptance Criteria for Containment of Small Charge Weights

摘要

This paper examines DDESB acceptance criteria for the design of structures housing small quantities of explosive materials (i.e., less than 10 lb TNT equivalent). From experience, following current DDESB design guidelines (e.g., UFC 3-340-02) can result in extremely fortified construction, in terms of wall and roof thickness and level of reinforcement, even when charge weights are small or significant venting is provided. This issue is particularly evident when small volume storage rooms are desired. Means of possibly reducing the rigidity of the current reinforced concrete acceptance criteria are explored by optimizing computational models with various construction layouts (e.g., different wall thicknesses and flexural/non-flexural reinforcement requirements) subject to shock and gas loading. Recommendations and limitations are provided for using small charges in containment applications.