Safety ammunition

Function ond Casualty Tests of Small Arms Ammunition. The purpose of these tests is to ascertain by firing in weapons of representative types whether the ammunition functions satisfactorily from the point of view of safety. Ammunition may be ballistically satisfactory, that is it may comply with individnal performance specifications, such as velocity, pressure, accuracy, penetration, etc, yet be unfit for use in the field because of undesirable characteristics which jeopardize the safery of weapons... 

An SSP for a system containing ammunition must always take special safety precautions and include an element of explosives safety. Ammunition and explosives (A Es) are a primary hazard source that should always be considered in a hazard analysis (HA). 

Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standard, U.S. Dept, of Defense Explosives Safety Board, no. 6055, DOD, Alexandria, Va., July 1984. 

Department of Defense. DOD Ammunitions and Explosive Safety Standards. DOD 6055.9-STD. 

Requirements 1 and 3 follow immediately from the considerations of the theory of detonation when it is remembered that the purpose of the charge is to obtain maximum effect, both from the shock wave of the explosive and also from the destructive effect of expansion of the explosion products. Requirements 1 and 2 follow from the consideration that any reduction in size and weight of the warhead of a missile, or in a shell, immediately makes it possible to increase the range and therefore the usefulness of the weapon. Requirement 5 relates not only to safety, but also the desirability, particularly for armour-piercing ammunition, for the time of detonation to be determined solely by the functioning of an appropriate fuze. 

Department of Defense Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards, DOD 6055.9-STD, Jul 1984 (First Amendment, Change 1, 19 Aug 86... 

Herrera, W. R., et al. "A Study of Fire Hazards from Combustible Ammunition Effects of Scale and Confinement (Phase II)," SwRI Final Report No. 01-7327 for DOD Explosives Safety Board, Contract MDA903-82-C-0526 (December 1984). 

Department of Defense (DOD) 6055.9 - STD, July 1984, Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards. 

Safety Barriers. Figure 1 illustrates an application employing intrinsically safe electrical circuits for the demilitarization of ammunition. Three separate areas are required for this application - one area, classified as non-hazardous, to serve as the control and loading area a second area, classified as hazardous, where the actual demilitarization is accomplished and a third area, classified as non-hazardous, is required for the hydraulic pump due to the level of noise produced. 

Beretta replied that the gun already had a safety device that the young shooter had to disengage before firing. They also argued that trigger locks and locked gun cases were readily available, but Michael s parents had not chosen to use such devices. Finally, Beretta pointed out that the manual that came with the gun mentioned safety practices such as storing the weapon unloaded, separate from ammunition, and inaccessible to children. 

Another application of the principle of similarity is to the calculation of maximum quantities of explosives and numbers of persons allowed in the rooms of any building used for expl operations. The rules to be followed are outlined in the US Army "AMC Safety Manual , AMCR 385-224 (June 1964) The principle of similarity is also used in evaluation of structures for ammunition manufacture and for calculation of safe distances between the buildings manufg or storing expls, distances to roads, inhabited area, etc... 

Fuze, Auxiliary Detonating (ADF). An additional fuze used to augment the output of a fuze explosive train or to increase the overall safety features of an item of ammunition (Compare with "Activator described in Section 2, Part A of this work, Glossary of Ordnance and Other Terms Used in This Description of Ordnance Items")... 

Fuzes contain safety devices that tend to prevent functioning until after the fuze has been subjected to centrifugal and setback forces, after the round is fired. In the so-called bore-safe fuzes, the path of the explosive train is interrupted so that, while the projectile is still in the bore of the weapon, premature expln is prevented should any of the more sensitive fuze elements (such as primer and/or detonator) start to function. Interruption is usually achieved by inserting out-of-line components or interrupter blocks or slides. Although this leaves the fuze in an unarmed position, it would not be considered safe in handling or shipping, unless the fuze was not provided with safety devices such as safety wires or cotter pins. These outside devices must be removed prior to inserting the fuzed round of ammunition into gun barrel, but the fuze will still be unarmed because some of its inside parts are not free to move to their proper positions so that the fuze may operate in its intended manner... 

Initiation by ignition) 291 (Initiation by percussion) 294 (Initiation by detonation and detonators) 318 (Igniter pad in separate-loading ammunition) 331 (Safety fuse) 332 (Squibs) 332 (Blasting caps) ... 

In exploding of ammunition or explosives, the following safety regulations should be observed ... 

The rept concluded that Picatinny is not just another Army Post, nor is it simply another explosives plant that has gotten back onto its feet after a blow. It is both of these and more because it is the very essence of our entire national defense schemei It is the Ammunition Arsenal of the nation, the design development of artillery ammunition for the A nay being the responsibility of Picatinny Refs 1) Dr Kausch, SS 21, 210(1926) (Das Explosion sungluck im Lake Denmark Naval Ammunition Depot) 2) H.S. Deck, "Safety in Explosives Plants , Army Qrdn 7, 33—37 (1927) 3) Anon, "Heroes of Picatinny. Di-... 

Fixed and Semi-Fixed Ammunition Testing and Surveillance. The following description is taken from the Safety and Storage Manual for Explosives and Ammunition ... 

Safety Precautions. Fixed and Semi-fixed ammunition should never be dropped, rolled or thrown, and as long as this is observed, there is little danger in handling it Refs 1) US Army Chief of Ordnance, "Safety and Storage Manual for Explosives and Ammunition", OO Form No 5994, Washington,... 

Army, "Artillery Ammunition , Tech Manual TM9-300-203 (April 1967), Chap 6, pp 6-1 to 6-2 (Destruction of Ammo) 4) US Army Materiel Command, "Safety Manual", AMC Regulation AMCR 385-100(April 1970)... 

Flueric Safety and Arming of Selected Ammunition. See V.P. Marchese, Singer Company Final Rept KD 72—68 (June 1971 to July 1972)... 

Class A Explosive Under the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) safety regulations, as per 49 CFR 173.53, there are nine types of Class A explosives including solid or liquid explosives, and ammunition, which can be detonated under conditions specified by DOT. These regulations provide specific descriptions of tests for the different types of Class A explosives. 

A formal international requirement for insensitivity was raised as far back as 1984 by NATO s Conference of National Armament Directors (CNAD) AC/310 Partnership Group on Safety and Suitability for Service Munitions and Explosives . As a result, a pilot NATO Insensitive Munitions Information Center (NIMIC) was set-up in the USA in 1988. Subsequently, after a couple of years when technologies for production of most ammunition of insensitive types were available and implementation and fielding was more important, the name NIMIC was changed to NATO s Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center (MSIAC) in December 2004. The advantages derived as a result of implementation of IM Policy are briefly described in Chapter 6 (Section 6.8). 

The purpose of incorporating a delay device in ammunition is (i) to cover the time of flight (ii) to provide safety of persons using the ammunition (iii) to ensure safety of carrier aircraft (iv) to ensure self-destruction and (v) to enhance post... 

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