The Essex Program: A Study of the Effects of Underground Low-Yield Nuclear Weapons Employed in a Tactical Warfare Scenario,

Abstract

Major objectives of the ESSEX Program were as follow: (a) develop a means of simulating, with high explosives, the mechanical effects of low-yield nuclear explosions that occur at various depts of burst (DOB), for various stemming conditions, and for various geologies; (b) develop a means of simulating radioactive fallout and of predicting such fallout using a nonradioactive source; (c) assess the barrier effectiveness of craters formed by low-yield nuclear weapons; (d) identify those test geometries that minimize collateral damage without degrading to an objectionable degree the primary effects; and (e) determine the vulnerability of generic classes of targets to the free-field explosion effects (primarily cratering, ground shock/motion, and debris impact). The calculational and experimental programs have provided a data/knowledge base sufficient to develop quantitative conclusions relative to some of the objectives, and definable trends relative to the others.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1978
Accession Number
ADA056490

Entities

People

  • John N. Strange

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Atomic Demolition Munitions
  • Collateral Damage
  • Craters
  • Detonations
  • Explosion Effects
  • Explosions
  • Explosives
  • Gamma Rays
  • Ground Shock
  • Nuclear Explosions
  • Nuclear Fallout
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Reinforced Concrete
  • Shock
  • Simulations
  • Weapons
  • Weapons Effects

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Systems Analysis and Design