Field observations of weathering Comp B (RDX/TNT 60/40) residue were made on a live-fire training range over four years. The Comp B residue was formed by low-order detonations of 120-mm mortar projectiles. Physical changes were the disaggregation of initially solid chunks into masses of smaller diameter pieces and formation of red phototransformation products that washed off with rain or tidal flooding. Disaggregation increased the surface area of the residue, thereby ...
Military live-fire training missions frequently result in unexploded ordnance on training ranges. Disposal of the rounds, often done in situ, is necessary in some cases for range safety or maintenance. In February 2008, the U.S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory teamed with the 716th Explosive Ordnance Disposal detachment at Fort Richardson, AK, to detonate two series of seven 60-mm and 120-mm fuzed high-explosive (HE) rounds to determine the ...
Fourteen 120-mm high-explosive mortar projectiles were fired into the Eagle River Flats (ERF) impact area in June 2007 to determine physical disturbance of the mudflat when it is not covered by ice. Currently, ERF is used only when it is covered by ice that prevents disturbance of the underlying sediment. Thirteen of the projectiles functioned normally and produced high-order detonations. The high order detonation craters averaged 2.7 m in diameter ...
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