Blast Parameters from Explosions in Model Earth Covered Magazines

Abstract : This report contains the results obtained from a series of high explosive tests designed to determine the blast parameters around a 1/50 scale model of an earth covered munition storage magazine. The tests were conducted using hemi-cylindrical pentolite charges of scaled weights to simulate the effects of an accidental explosion occurring in standard munition magazines when filled with 100,000, 300,000, and 500,000 pounds of explosives. The thickness of the earth cover was varied to determine the blast attenuation associated with double the standard earth cover thickness, the standard earth cover and one-half the standard earth cover thickness relative to no earth cover. Excellent correlation was obtained with limited data from one full-size storage magazine test.