Lethality of Bursting Munitions and Their Effect on Survivability

• Main Authors: Eberius, Natalie, Gillich, Patrick, Doonan, Kathleen
• Other Authors: ARMY RESEARCH LAB ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND MD SURVIVABILITY LETHALITY ANALYSIS DIRECTORATE
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Safety Engineering; Test Facilities; Equipment and Methods; Military Operations; Strategy and Tactics; Ammunition and Explosives; Protective Equipment; *BURSTING CHARGES; *LETHALITY; *AMMUNITION; *SURVIVABILITY; THREATS; VULNERABILITY; TEAMS(PERSONNEL); TARGETS; WOUNDS AND INJURIES; BLAST; DETONATIONS; EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL; HAZARDS; STANDOFF; RISK ANALYSIS; TEST AND EVALUATION; SIMULATION; PPE(PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT); MAIS(MOBILE AUTOMATED INFORMATION SYSTEMS); ORCA(OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENT BASED CASUALTY ASSESSMENTS); MUVES(MULTIUSER VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT SIMULATORS); MUVES-S2; BURSTING MUNITIONS; Orca
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA540719; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA540719

The distances at which mounted personnel in military vehicles and dismounted personnel can survive blast threat detonations is of interest. Zones described in terms of area of effect and range provide a technical basis for hazard standoff distances (i.e., distances at which explosive ordnance disposal teams can safely operate). Current standoff requirements are often based on limited test and simulation data, with feedback observed in the field providing a significant contribution. These lethality zone estimates support system requirement definitions, input to tactics, techniques and procedures, and risk assessment. This report details the capability of the MUVES-S2 model to simulate both threat and target interactions to construct improved vulnerability zones detailing lethality and survivability in terms of measures of personnel injury. Empirical data sets support threat characterization that describe ballistic behavior and projectile properties as well as ballistic material modeling of vehicle componentry, armor, and personnel protective equipment. The original document contains color images.