Battlefield Fires from Tactical Nuclear Weapons.
Abstract
Fires from tactical weapon exchanges in open terrain can be an important factor in assessing casualties and damage as well as managing troop deployments and operations. In addition, to prompt thermal effects and fire starts, spread may also be an important factor on the battlefield. In this report, a model describing the initiation and spread of battlefield fires is presented. The initial ignition distribution is related to the weapon yield, slant range, local atmospheric properties, fuel type and ignition threshold. The fire spread analysis is based on an established U.S. Forest Service prediction algorithm. The present tactical ignition and fire spread (TIFS) model predicts the fire movement over variable terrains and accounts for ambient wind vectors, moisture, changing vegetation, and an arbitrary number of firebreaks. An example calculation illustrating the initial fire area and subsequent spread in a complex terrain is presented for a 10-KT explosion. The results show the fires extending the effective weapon-damage radius, and identify regions to which the fires do not spread.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 15, 1984
- Accession Number
- ADA185180
Entities
People
- D. Remetch
- R. D. Small
- W. L. Woodie