Book Description

A summary is presented of the results of an analytical and experimental program directed toward verification of the quantity-distance criteria associated with an accidental explosion of a Peacekeeper missile in a Minuteman silo. Evaluation of airblast scaling characteristics corresponding to 1/10- and 1/4-scale model tests indicated the applicability of the cube-root scaling for in-silo explosions. Structural debris from a 1/4-scale test of a Minuteman silo were analyzed for fragment dimensions, shape factors, and density variation with range. Procedures for debris scaling from the 1/4-scale test data to a full-scale event were developed consisted of a statistical simulation technique and a trajectory limitation approach. Scaling evaluations were performed to determine appropriate quantity-distance values for airblast and fragment hazards corresponding to a full-scale event. (Author).