Proceeds 62nd Shock & Vib Symp Shock & Vib Info Analysis Center Arlington, Virginia, Pp 199-211 :199-211
The U.S. Bureau of Mines studied airblast and ground vibrations generated by munitions disposal blasts at the Army McAlester Ammunition Plant and Depot in Oklahoma to determine if such blasts, limited to 205 kg, could produce cracking in houses in nearby communities. Eleven structures were monitored over a period of 18 months in and around the base. Blasting seismographs and individual airblast and vibration sensors were used in the manner routinely applied to the regulation of surface mining and for blast effects research. Researchers found groundborne vibrations two orders of magnitude below minimum thresholds for cosmetic cracking at all the structures, including the closest at 3 miles from the disposal range. These thresholds are 1 to 5 cm/s. Airblasts, although significant at 115 to 120 db (system response 0.1 to 16,000 hz), were also too low to produce damage of any kind. However, unlike direct ground vibration, they were perceptible at times as far away as 11 miles. This resulted from the relatively small amount of munitions confinement and the irregular influences of weather conditions on the airwave propagation.