Alternate Analysis Method for Determining Storage Limits and Intermagazine Separation Distances for Nonstandard Earth-Covered Magazines

摘要

Large numbers of nonstandard earth-covered magazines are currently in use at Department of Defense installations, depots, and ammunition plants. An effort is currently underway to more accurately assess the blast resistance of these magazines. As a part of this effort, the U. S. Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville was tasked by the Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board to identify those nonstandard magazines that can be upgraded to higher storage limits without compromising explosive safety requirements. The results of this tasking are presented in this paper. Under the tasking, a detailed survey was conducted of existing nonstandard earthcovered magazines. The results of the survey are outlined in this report, and the structural blast capacities of magazine headwalls and doors are reviewed and discussed. In addition, an alternate analysis method is presented for determining safe storage limits and intermagazine separation distances for these magazines. Initial analyses have shown that if only robust munitions are stored in the donor and acceptor magazines, the storage limit in the donor magazine may be increased and the intermagazine separation distances between the donor and acceptor magazines may be reduced. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible future applications of the alternate analysis method to nonstandard magazines storing non-robust munitions and with recommendations for future work.