Military training with howitzers and mortars produces excess propellant that is burned on the training range and can result in point sources containing high concentrations of unreacted propellant constituents. Propellants contain energetic compounds such as nitroglycerin (NG) and 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT), both of which are found at firing positions and propellant disposal areas. To quantify the mass of residue remaining from the field-expedient disposal of propellants, two mortar propellants and one ...
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 ...
Over the past two years, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the Defence R&D Canada Valcartier have partnered to develop an improved understanding of the distribution and fate of propellant residues on military training ranges in SERDP Project ER-1481. As a portion of this work, field studies have been conducted to estimate the mass of propellant residues deposited per round fired from various munitions. This research included ...
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