Document Details

OPERATION UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE, PROJECT 5.2, ATOMIC WEAPON EFFECTS ON B-50 TYPE AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT ( MARCH - JUNE 1953 )

LENZ, R C; MILLER, G C

Location - DOE/NNSA NUCLEAR TESTING ARCHIVE Address - P.O. Box 98521 City - Las Vegas State - NV Zip - 89193-8521 Phone - (702)794-5106 Fax - (702)862-4240 Email - NTA@NV.DOE.GOV

REPORT

1953 Jun 30

Unknown

0130

NV0051126

WT749

1994 Aug 26

2003 Sep 18

PROJECT 5.2 WAS ESTABLISHED TO DETERMINE MINIMUM OPERATIONAL PARAMETER S FOR DELIVERY OF ATOMIC WEAPONS FROM MEDIUM BOMBARDMENT AIRCRAFT. THR EE B-50D AIRPLANES WERE SELECTED AND INSTRUMENTED FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF PEAK OVERPRESSURE, THERMAL RADIATION AND WING TIP DEFLECTION. ONE O F THE AIRPLANES WAS FURTHER INSTRUMENTED FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF WING, FUSELAGE, AND STABILIZER BENDING MOMENTS, ANGULAR AND LINEAR ACCELERAT IONS AND ELEVATOR POSITIONS. A FLIGHT PATTERN WAS ESTABLISHED SO THAT THE POSITIONS OF THE THREE B-50'S SIMULATED THE POSITION WHICH WOULD B E OCCUPIED BY A BOMB-DROPPING AIRPLANE RELATIVE TO THE POINT OF DETONA TION OF THE WEAPON. ATTAINMENT OF THIS POSTION WAS CONFIRMED BY AERIAL MAPPING TECHNIQUES FROM THE TEST AIRCRAFT. GUST LOADING OF THE HORIZO NTAL STABILIZER WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE LIMITING STRUCTURAL PARAMETER OF THE B-50 AIRPLANE FOR DELIVERY OF ATOMIC WEAPONS. THE EXTENT OF TH IS LIMIT WAS CLOSELY DEFINED BY THE ATTAINMENT OF 79 PER CENT OF DESIG N LIMIT BENDING MOMENT AT STATION 98 OF THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER ON S HOT 9. SUFFICIENTLY PRECISE AND EXTENSIVE DATA CONCERNING THE EFFECTS OF ATOMIC WEAPONS ON THE B-50 WERE OBTAINED TO ENABLE ACCURATE DEFINIT IONS OF GENERAL OPERATIONAL PARAMETERS FOR DELIVERY OF ATOMIC WEAPONS WITH THIS AIRPLANE. IN ADDITION, THE INFORMATION IS OF SUCH NATURE THA T IT MAY BE USED IN THE CORRELATION AND CORRECTION OF THEORETICAL ANAL YSES WHICH SERVE TO EXTEND THE RESULTS TO GENERALIZED PROBLEMS OF ATOM IC WEAPONS DELIVERY INVOLVING OTHER TYPES OF AIRCRAFT, POSITONS IN SPA CE, AND OTHER RANGES OF WEAPON YIELD. WING BENDING MOMENTS PREDICTED O N THE BASIS OF THE CURRENT THEORETICAL ANALYSIS WERE FOUND TO BE CONSI STENTLY TWICE AS LARGE AS THE ACTUAL WING BENDING MOMENTSS MEASURED IN THIS EXPERIMENT.