Bullet and Fragment Hazard Testing
Abstract
An August 1992 meeting involving US and UK representatives included a USN technical presentation on bullet and fragment hazard tests. Discussions arose concerning the cardinal purpose of and the complexity of issues surrounding the tests, and the recognition that it would be advantageous for the UK and the US to arrive at a bilateral agreement on the nature and use of those tests. This situation paper resulted from those discussions. The Issues Involved. A general review of the rationales for conducting bullet and fragment tests reveals areas of differences and disagreement at least as related to the UK and US approaches to the conduct of their respective bullet and fragment impact tests. Aspects of the dialogue concerned the use of single vs multiple fragments; the shape, nature, weight and velocity of the projected objects (fragments vs bullets); the significance of accumulating data for historic, comparative, and predictive purposes as opposed to a focus on meeting a sanctioned passing criterion; the reproducibility of test results; and the utility and applicability of an international agreement on a multi-bullet impact test. The need for subjecting a munition to any multiple projectile test and especially to both multiple fragment and multiple bullet tests is still frequently questioned even within single services. Cause for the questioning emanates from perceptions and observations that the requirements are often circumvented, results do not consider the effects of large fragments, projectile launch methods are site-specific, and multiple impacts damage the target more and increase the possibility of a detonation reaction.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA514950
Entities
People
- Overton C. Parrent
Organizations
- Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division