EDS Containment Vessel TNT Equivalence Testing

The V26 containment vessel was procured by the Project Manager, Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel (PMNSCM) for use on the Phase-2 Explosive Destruction Systems. It was fabricated under Code Case 2564 of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, which provides rules for the design of impulsively loaded vessels [1]. The explosive rating for the vessel, based on the Code Case, is nine (9) pounds TNT-equivalent for up to 637 detonations. This report documents the results of tests that were performed on the vessel at Sandia National Laboratories to qualify the vessel for explosive use [2]. Three of these explosive tests consisted of: (1) 9lbs bare charge of Composition C-4 (equivalent to 11.25lbs TNT); (2) a 7.2lbs bare charge of Composition C-4 (equivalent to 9lbs TNT); (3) a bare charge of 9lbs cast TNT. The results of these tests are compared in order to provide an understanding of how varying charge size affects vessel response when the ratio of free volume to charge volume is small, and in making direct comparisons between TNT and Composition C-4 for TNT equivalency calculations. In a previous paper [3], the 7.2lbs bare charge of Composition C-4, (2) above, was compared to 7.2lbs of Composition C-4 distributed into 6 charges.