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OPERATION UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE, PROJECT 8.1A, EFFECTS OF THERMAL AND BLAST FORCES FROM NUCLEAR DETONATIONS ON BASIC AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES AND COMPONENTS

SCHLEI, E J; JAMES, G T; BREIDENBACH, L J

UPSHOT OPERATION; AIRCRAFT; BLAST EFFECTS; HARRY EVENT; GRABLE EVENT; RAY EVENT; BADGER EVENT; SIMON EVENT; RUTH EVENT; MATERIALS; GRAPHS; CALCULATION METHODS; UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE OPERATION; THERMAL RADIATION; BLAST EFFEECTS

MEHAS T 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

1954 Mar 31

Unknown

0299

NV0051129

WT766

ARMED FORCES SPECIAL WEAPONS PROJECT

1994 Aug 26

2003 Sep 18

TO AUGMENT THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF THE VULNERABILITY AND THERMO-ELASTIC RESPONSE OF AIRCRAFT OPERATING IN THE VICINITY OF A NUCLEAR DETONATIO N, VARIOUS AIRCRAFT STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS WERE INSTRUMENTED FOR TIME-H ISTORY TEMPERATURE AND STRAIN RESPONSE AND EXPOSED TO THE THERMAL AND/ OR BLAST INPUTS DURING SHOTS 9 AND 10 OF OPERATION UPSHOT-KNOTHOLE. TH E SPECIMENS CHOSEN FOR THIS INVESTIGATION WERE BOX BEAMS, TENSION TIES , STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR ASSEMBLIES, AND STRUCTURALLY BONDED METAL HA T, WAFFLE, AND HONEYCOMB CORE TYPE AIRCRAFT PANELS. THESE STABILIZERS WERE PRELOADED TO SIMULATE AN IN-FLIGHT CONDITION AND EXPOSED IN SETS OF THREE, SUCH THAT ONE WAS SHIELDED FROM BLAST, ONE SHIELDED FROM THE RMAL RADIATION, AND THE OTHER UNSHIELDED. IN ADDITION, STRUCTURALLY BO NDED METAL AIRCRAFT PANELS WERE INSTRUMENTED FOR PEAK SKIN TEMPERATURE DETERMINATION WITH TEMP-TAPES AND EXPOSED TO DETERMINE THE THRESHOLD TEMPERATURE FOR PERMANENT SKIN BUCKLING AND FOR BOND RELEASE. A B-36 S TABILIZER AND ELEVATOR ASSEMBLY AND A B-36 WING OUTER PANEL WERE EXPOS ED AND INSTRUMENTED WITH TEMP-TAPES TO INVESTIGATE LOCAL PANEL DAMAGE. SAMPLES OF FABRIC AND FOIL CONTROL SURFACE COVERINGS WERE EXPOSED IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH A THRESHOLD OF THERMAL DAMAGE FOR EACH TYPE COVERI NG. THERMAL AND BLAST INPUTS WERE MEASURED AT EACH OF THE FOUR PROJECT 8.1A INSTRUMENTATION STATIONS FOR BOTH SHOTS 9 AND 10. TEST PANEL DIS PLAYS OF AIR-CRAFT UNDERCARRIAGE COMPONENTS, COMPRISING TIRE SPECIMENS , HYDRAULIC EQUIPMENT, AND RELATED ITEMS, WERE EXPOSED TO RELATIVELY H IGH THERMAL INPUTS TO ESTABLISH A DAMAGE THRESHOLD FOR THESE COMPONENT S. THE DATA OBTAINED DURING SHOT 9 VARIED SLIGHTLY FROM THOSE ANTICIPA TED BECAUSE THE INPUTS REALIZED WERE LOWER THAN EXPECTED; HOWEVER, CHA NGES IN THE INTENDED PROGRAM FOR SHOT 10, FOR THE MOST PART, OFFSET TH E EFFECTS OF THE SHOT 9 INPUTS. OVER 95 PER CENT OF THE INSTRUMENTATIO N CHANNELS ON THE BOX BEAMS, TENSION TIES, AND STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR ASSEMBLIES PRODUCED USABLE RESPONSE DATA. THE DATA ARE CONSISTENT AND AGREE WITH THOSE EXPECTED FROM GENERAL THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS. AN ALYSIS OF THE ABOVE DATA SHOULD PROVIDE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE THERMOELASTIC RESPONSE OF THICK SKINNED SPECIMENS TO UNILATERAL HEATIN G AND AN IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE OF THE INTERACTION OF THERMAL AND BLAST FO RCES IN CAUSING AIRCRAFT DAMAGE. A WIDE RANGE OF DAMAGE, INCLUDING BON D RELEASE, WAS SUSTAINED BY THE BONDED METAL AIRCRAFT PANELS. FOR TEMP ERATURE RISES UP TO ABOUT 350F, WAFFLE PANELS ARE LESS VULNERABLE TO S KIN BUCKLING THAN HAT PANELS FOR THE FREE EDGE CONDITION. OF THE PANEL S TESTED, HONEYCOMB CORE PANELS ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE TO BOND RELEAS E, WITH BOND FAILURE OCCURRING AT TEMPERATURES AS LOW AS 300 DEGREES F AHRENHEIGHT. THE OVERPRESSURE REQUIRED TO PRODUCE PANEL BUCKLING ON TH E B-36 STABILIZER AND ELEVATOR ASSEMBLY WAS FOUND TO BE BETWEEN 1.2 AN D 3.2 PSI. INPUTS OF 23.1 CAL/SQ CM AND 5.7 PSI CAUSED PANEL DAMAGE TO THE B-36 WING SECTION RANGING FROM MODERATE TO COMPLETE DESTRUCTION. FABRIC AND FOIL CONTROL SURFACE COVERINGS CAN BE MADE TO WITHSTAND SA TISFACTORILY THERMAL ENERGIES UP TO ABOUT 10 AND 13 CAL/SQ CM, RESPECT IVELY.