Mitigation of ammunition effects by application of alternative packaging materials

A mass detonation of stored ammunition may lead to devastating injury, material damage, and asset loss. Such a scenario can be initiated by an external (fragment or bullet) impact, or the detonation of nearby ammunition articles, leading to sympathetic reaction/detonation. At a military base, sympathetic reactions between storage modules are normally prevented by applying Inter Magazine Distances (IMD), such as those given in AASTP-1.
In the research program Sustainable Ammunition Safety, funded by the Dutch MoD, the possibility is being investigated to prevent a sympathetic reaction within a storage module. For this purpose the effect of alternative packaging materials between articles or between pallets is studied. This paper describes the results obtained so far.
For some specific high value munitions commercial packaging solutions with mitigation measures are already available today. In our research program we study the application of packaging materials to bulk stored ammunition or munitions storage in a platform in general. Experiments have been performed to illustrate the reducing effects of mitigating materials such as porous aluminium and PUR foam between 60 mm mortar rounds. The results clearly show mitigation phenomena. These phenomena can also be understood physically by applying numerical modelling techniques such as Autodyn.
Furthermore we are developing a methodology for cost-benefit analysis of packaging materials. Besides acquisition costs, the application of these materials has logistic consequences. On the other hand, the reduction of the Maximum Credible Event (MCE) reduces the required size of the ammunition area, and the required distance to a military camp or third parties. The methodology enables a user to quantitatively compare the costs and benefits of packaging materials, in order to make informed decisions.