Underground UXO: Are they a significant source of explosives in training range soils?

[email protected] / 603-646-4239 1 of 16 121000RMAR2005

Underground UXO

Underground UXO: Underground UXO: Are they a Are they a

significant source significant source of explosives in of explosives in training range training range

soils?soils?

Susan Taylor

James Lever, Michael Walsh, Mariane Walsh, James Bostick,

Bonnie Packer


Underground UXO

Acknowledgements

• Funding - USAEC• Jordan Papadopoulos - ARDEC• Roger Young - USACE, Huntsville• Jay Clausen - AMEC• Dauphin and Doyle - DAC• Lisa Greenfeld, USAEC• Phil Thorne - ARA• Peter Keene, Alan Hewitt, Thomas Jenkins-

CRREL• SERDP-CP 1226, Chendorain and Stewart


Underground UXO

Purpose

• Of the multiple fates for ordnance, which contributes more high explosives residues on our training ranges?– We have much of the information we need

to answer this question– Still have areas where information is

“fuzzy”


Underground UXO

Methodology

•# produced?

•# used?

•% Fate: HO, LO, Dud

•For duds …surface or below?

•Category: BIP? corrode? detonate? split?

•Calculate rate of release for each category & compare


Underground UXO

Definitions

• High Order= round detonates as designed• Low Order=only a portion of the explosive

fill detonates• Sympathetic detonation=round cracks

open, deflagrates or detonates due to a near by detonation.

• Split Casing= round breaks open on impact or due to some process other than nearby detonation


Underground UXO

Munitions Produced

• Five most commonly produced– 8 in., 155mm, and 105mm howitzer– 81mm and 4.2 in mortar

• 50 year production= 3.4 x 108 kg HE

• Ref: Papadopoulos (2003) ARDEC & USAEC Pub.: ARWEC-SP-02001

or SFIM-AEC-PC-2003018


Underground UXO

Percent used in Training

• Varies on a year to year basis

• We used 80% – Ref.: Value given in Report of the Defense

Science Board Task Force on UXO (2003)– fuzzy


Underground UXO

Percent of rounds that HO, LO, DUD

• Varies for types of munitions

• We used the average for all 5 types

• Ref: Dauphin and Doyle, USACE, 2001 & 2000 SFIM-AEC-PR-CR-200139


Underground UXO

Next step: residues immediately available

Multiply the number of each type of round * mass HE * % residue from HO and LO

=Kg HE from HO and LOW


Underground UXO

HE immediately released from HO and LO

• High Order= Used 0.001% of the weight of the fill for residue.– Hewitt et al. 2003, Jenkins et al. 2000

• Low Order= We used 50% the wt. of the fill for residue (fuzzy)– Lewis et al. 2002, Hewitt et al. 2003


Underground UXO

Next step: Duds (partially cased)

Multiply the number of each type of round * mass HE * % Dud

=Kg HE in Duds

•Now to assign the various fates for the duds to see how much residue is available to rain –slower release


Underground UXO

HE released from Duds:slowly over time

• Surface or buried?– 5% surface, 95% buried– Ref.: UXO Recovery Depth Database, USACE

Huntsville.

• Blown-in-Place (assume surface only) either goes LO or HO

• Sympathetic Detonation? round cracks open- fuzzy

• Round cracked open at impact? -fuzzy• Corroding in Place? Corrosion rates vary

Praxis 2004, Literature on carbon steels


Underground UXO

Next

• Estimate time to corrosive failure using literature and SERDP study

• Estimate rates of dissolution as a function of particle size or surface area for ALL fates

• Calculated the quantity of dissolved load of explosive for a given time interval


Underground UXO

Relative HE load by Fate (1% UXO corroded)

Live Fire Surface UXO Buried UXO


Underground UXO

Relative HE load by Fate (10% UXO corroded)

Live Fire Surface UXO Buried UXO


Underground UXO

Conclusions

• Available data suggests that low-order, or partial, detonations are currently the largest source of explosives on our ranges.

• Need more data on the actual fates experienced by munitions

• Framework for compiling and ranking explosive sources may help guide future research and policy


Underground UXO

Back up slides- References


Underground UXO

References used

• Munitions Produced

• Percentage used in training– 80%

• HO, LO, Dud rates

• Surface vs Buried UXO5% and 95%

• Fate of DUDs

• Papadopoulos (2003) Special Publication ARWEC-SP-02001

• Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on UXO (2003)

• USACE, 2001&2000 SFIM-AEC-PR-CR-200139

• UXO Recovery Depth DatabaseUSACE Roger Young, Huntsville.

• Our Best guess based on anecdotal information


Underground UXO

References used

• Live fire-HO residue

• Blow-in Place LO residue

• DUDs– Corrosion

• Hewitt et al. 2003• Jenkins et al. 2000

• Lewis et al. 2002• Hewitt et al. 2003

• Praxis 2004• Literature values

Underground UXO: Are they a significant source of explosives in training range soils?

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