Event DICE THROW, Mobility Experiments.
Abstract
Event DICE THROW, a 2.5-terajoule (600-ton) charge of ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO), was detonated on 6 October 1976 at the Giant Patriot Site on the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The soil is predominatly loose silty sand with random lenses of hard silty clay. Field tests were conducted to determine the degree to which the crater and its associated ejecta field constituted a physical barrier to the movement of military vehicles. Four terrain units in the crater and ejecta area were delineated as significant to ground mobility and described in terms of soil strength, soil moisture content, surface configuration, ejecta depth, and areal extent. The test vehicles, i.e., and M60A1 tank, an M551 Sheridan tank, an M577A1 command post carrier, an M109 self-propelled howitzer, an M35A2C 2-1/2-ton cargo truck, and an M715 1-1/4-ton cargo truck, could operate with ease in all the terrain units except the crater wall. The crater wall was too steep for the vehicles to make a safe entry into the crater; therefore, a D7F bulldozer was used for 10 minutes to make an entrance lane into the crater. Comparison of measured values and values predicted by AMM-74X (Army Mobility Model) for four vehicle performance parameters revealed that the overall accuracy of the predictions for go-no go, draw-bar pull, motion resistance, and speed was acceptable in every case.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1977
- Accession Number
- ADA046146
Entities
People
- C. E. Green