Courtesy Photo | Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC) Test Lead...... read more read more
By Thomas J. Erickson
Engineer, Shore Technical Department
Explosive Effects and Consequences Division (SH21)
A team of experts at Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NAVFAC EXWC) is working on strengthening the blast door of Earth-Covered Magazines (ECMs) to enable the Fleet and warfighter to store munitions at a higher level of safety and security for less cost than ever before.
ECMs, which are semi-buried structures used to securely store munitions and other volatile material, offer protection to nearby personnel and property from an accidental explosion. Used throughout the Department of Defense, ECMs address both explosive safety and physical security considerations.
The Navy handles hazardous and dangerous munitions every day, whether missiles, bombs, ammunition or explosives. Each of these items has its own quirks, safety measures, and considerations for storage. Munitions are extremely dangerous and must be handled with care, as a single error could prove catastrophic.
It is our duty to sailors and the civilian population to keep these stockpiles safe, secure, and effective. ECMs are a solution for safe storage.
Three engineers lead a program at EXWC’s Explosive Effects and Consequences Division studying and improving the blast design and physical security design of ECM doors. Through analysis, modelling, and physical test programs, they aim to improve doors to reduce cost, weight, and construction complexity.
The team is modernizing ECMs to reflect a century of research. ECM blast designs are evolving with the times to account for a new generation of munitions and handling equipment. Physical security of these structures must adapt to counter the ever-changing threat from malign actors who seek to steal or sabotage munitions.
The Naval Innovative Science and Engineering (NISE) and Naval Facilities Systems (NFS) programs funded the research. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the FATHOMWERX public-private laboratory at the Port of Hueneme provided technical support. This project aims to optimize door designs to r educe cost and enhance performance. The EXWC team developed both simulation models and physical test articles. The simulation models used finite-element analysis to simulate the behavior of blast doors in response to an explosion.
EXWC aims to optimize the security fill inside the door using novel configurations, materials, and construction techniques. The team developed a series of low-cost test panels and filled the panels with a variety of fill materials informed by an extensive study of commercially available options.
Test specimens were designed to test the behavior of both legacy blast door designs, and the performance improvements offered by low-cost modifications to the internal structure. Heavily instrumented with sensors to measure steel behavior, the specimens were tested to failure using hydraulic actuators and shock tube testing.
The test panels were constructed internally at EXWC, leveraging the resources and training of the FATHOMWERX laboratory. The panels were tested against a battery of forced-entry attacks conducted both by the Department of Defense and EXWC’s in-house subject-matter experts.
Data from this research indicates significant potential cost savings and design improvements that could be applied to every ECM door in the Department of Defense.
The team continues to iterate and build upon their work, and has begun transitioning the research results into Navy-owned ECM designs. These changes are set to save millions of dollars in military construction project costs, underscoring the commitment of EXWC and partners to innovate and advance technological efforts that benefit the Fleet, warfighter and the nation with brilliant and effective solutions.
| Date Taken: | 08.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2025 18:13 |
| Story ID: | 544824 |
| Location: | NAVAL BASE VENTURA COUNTY, US |
| Web Views: | 66 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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