O-110 MSIAC Workshop on Debris Data, Analysis and Modeling
Explosives (safety) testing and modeling efforts are on-going in many nations, with an emphasis that includes:
- Structural break-up and secondary debris generation
- Debris characterization (analysis of mass/number/shape distributions)
- Debris initial/impact velocities/distributions
- Debris maximum throw ranges
- Hazards characteristics
Much of this testing and the information derived from it are directly applicable to the validation of explosives-safety quantity-distance (ESQD) criteria and to the development of models to predict debris generation, debris throw, and the risks posed by the debris.
At the request of NATO AC/326 Sub-groups (SG) 5 (Logistic Storage and Disposal) and SG 6 (Operational Safety Ammunition), the Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center (MSIAC) coordinated and participated in a 3-day workshop that brought together international experts (23 individuals from 9 nations, plus MSIAC) in the areas of structural breakup and testing, debris collection, debris data analysis, and debris modeling. The objectives of this workshop were to collectively review current and proposed debris testing and modeling work and to identify knowledge gaps in the understanding of debris characteristics and effects.
This paper will discuss the workshop, review general debris data and modeling (as presented by Nations at the workshop), and provide a summary of the conclusions and recommendations that came out of the workshop. It will also describe the results of the SG5 and SG6 briefings about the workshop, in particular the way forward that the Subgroups have decided to take in order to address the identified gaps in the debris data modeling procedures.
