CEMP-ET

Engineer Pamphlet

1110-345-102

Department of the Army

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Washington, DC 20314-1000

EP 1110-345-102

31 August 1995

Engineering and Design

EXPLOSIVES STORAGE MAGAZINES

Distribution Restriction Statement

Approved for public release; distribution is 

unlimited.
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY EP 1110-345-102

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

CEMP-ET Washington, D.C. 20314-1000

Pamphlet

No. 1110-345-102 31 August 1995

Engineering and Design

EXPLOSIVES STORAGE MAGAZINES

1. Purpose. Appendix A provides a ready reference of

explosives storage magazine information such as shape, size,

explosive limits, and operational features. It is intended to

provide planners and designers sufficient information to select

the most suitable standard magazine design to satisfy the user's

requirements.

2. Applicability. This pamphlet is applicable to all HQUSACE

elements, major subordinate commands, districts, and field

operating activities (FOA) having military design and

construction responsibilities.

3. References.

a. DoD 6055.9-STD

b. AR 385-60

c. AR 385-64

d. AR 415-17

e. TM 5-1300

4. Discussion. Military installations use magazines, sometimes

referred to as igloos, for the storage of ammunition and

explosives. Selecting the correct storage capacity, siting, and

type of magazine has been a problem to military planners, and

especially to those responsible for assuring safety compliance.

Investigational work with earth-covered magazines has been

concerned with intra relationships within magazine complexes for

siting purposes. Numerous full-scale tests performed over a

period of several years have established magazine separation

criteria that will prevent magazine-to-magazine explosion

propagation. These tests formed the basis for the explosive

safety standards in AR 385-64 which implements DOD 6055.9-STD

requirements. The primary objective of standard magazines is to

provide designers and installation planners pre-approved

magazines meeting the Department of Defense Explosives Safety

Board (DDESB) safety criteria. This pamphlet is structured to

________________________________________________________

This pamphlet supersedes DG 1110-3-170, dated June 1986.
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provide complete guidance to Army. It does not address those

magazines listed in references a and c that were developed by the

Naval Facilities Engineering Command.

FOR THE COMMANDER:

1 Appendix ROBERT H. GRIFFIN

APP A - Explosives Colonel, Corps of Engineers

 Storage Magazines Chief of Staff

________________________________________________________

This pamphlet supersedes DG 1110-3-170, dated June 1986.
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APPENDIX A

EXPLOSIVES STORAGE MAGAZINES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Paragraph Page

Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION

General .................... 1-1 A-3

Definitions .................. 1-2 A-3

Separation Distances of Standard Magazines . . 1-3 A-4

Magazine Grouping Concepts .......... 1-4 A-4

Storage and Outloading Drawings ........ 1-5 A-8

Cost of Magazines ............... 1-6 A-8

Waivers and Exemptions ............ 1-7 A-8

Technical Assistance ............. 1-8 A-8

Chapter 2. STANDARD MAGAZINES

General .................... 2-1 A-10

Description of Earth-Covered Magazines .... 2-2 A-10

Standard Magazines .............. 2-3 A-11

Site Adaptation ................ 2-4 A-20

Changes to Standard Design .......... 2-5 A-20

DDESB Approval ................ 2-6 A-20

Specifications ................ 2-7 A-20

Chapter 3. MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS

Earth Cover .................. 3-1 A-21

Waterproofing ................. 3-2 A-21

Drainage Systems ............... 3-3 A-21

Doors ..................... 3-4 A-21

Utilities and Power .............. 3-5 A-22

Road - Network ................ 3-6 A-22

Aprons .................... 3-7 A-22

Retaining walls (Wing Walls) ......... 3-8 A-22

Ventilation .................. 3-9 A-22

Security ................... 3-10 A-22

Cathodic Protection .............. 3-11 A-22

Lightning Protection ............. 3-12 A-23

Mixing Standard and Non-Standard Magazines . . 3-13 A-23
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Paragraph Page

Chapter 4. NON-STANDARD MAGAZINES

General .................... 4-1 A-24

Evaluating Non-Standard Magazines ....... 4-2 A-24

Hybrid Magazines ............... 4-3 A-24

Preapproved Non-Standard Magazines ...... 4-4 A-24

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1. Minimum Separation Distances of Standard

 Magazines ................. A-5

2. Siting plan - Rear to Front ........... A-6

3. Siting Plan - Back to Back

4. Earth-covered Steel Arch Magazine ........ A-12

5. Magazine, Concrete, Oval-arch, Earth-covered . . A-13

6. Magazine, Steel, Semicircular-arch, Earth-covered A-14

7. Steel and Concrete Box Magazine,

 Earth-covered ................ A-15

8. Magazine, Steel, Oval-arch, Earth-covered .... A-16

9. Magazine, Mounded Concrete Igloo ........ A-17

10. Magazine, Stradley Type, Earth-covered ..... A-18

11. Igloo, Storage, Steel-arch, Earth-covered .... A-19

12. Magazine, Concrete Cubicle, Earth-covered .... A-25
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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1-1. General. An important element in selecting storage

magazines for construction is determining the type of magazine to

be used and the siting requirements. AR 385-64 provides clear

guidance in this regard. An earth-covered magazine is not

designed to resist the damaging effects of its own exploding

contents. It is accepted that the donor magazine will be

demolished if an internal explosion occurs. Earth-covered

magazines are utilized primarily to prevent propagation of an

explosion within an adjacent (receiver) magazine. During the

design phase, and prior to construction, site plans and nonstandard magazine drawings must be submitted to the DDESB for

review in accordance with AR 385-60 to assure that the proposed

project meets explosives safety standards. only the drawing

numbers of standard magazines need be submitted with the site

plan since the construction of such magazines are preapproved by

the DDESB.

1-2. Definitions.

a. Magazine: Any building or structure, except an

operating building, used for the storage of ammunitions and

explosives.

b. Standard Magazine: A preapproved magazine of the

designation listed in AR 385-64. It is a magazine approved for

the storage of 500,000 pounds net explosive weight (NEW) at the

separation distances listed in AR 385-64.

c. Non-Standard Magazine: An earth-covered magazine that

is not listed in AR 385-64 as being approved by the DDESB. These

magazines are limited to a maximum 250,000 pounds NEW at the

separation distances listed in AR 385-64.

d. Hybrid Magazine: A magazine that uses components and/or

modifications from more than one magazine.

e. Intermagazine Distance: This is the minimum permissible

distance between storage magazines. For earth-covered magazines,

this distance is intended to provide reasonable protection

against the propagation of an accidental explosion by airblast

and by fragments.
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f. Quantity-Distance: The quantity of explosive material

and distance separation relationship that provide defined types

of protection.

g. Donor Magazine: Is a magazine which produces the

damaging output.

h. Receiver Magazine: Is the magazine away from the donor

source which requires protection.

i. Barricaded: Magazines with intervening barrier, natural

or artificial, of such type, size, and construction as to limit

in a prescribed manner the effect of an explosion on a nearby

magazine.

j. Unbarricaded: Magazines without an intervening barrier.

1-3. Separation Distances of Magazines. Separation distance

from magazines, commonly referred to as quantity-distance (Q-D),

governs many aspects of a project. Stated simply, the more

explosive material concentrated at one place, the farther that

place has to be from a potential target. AR 385-64 contains

tables equating amounts of explosives to the distance that they

must be separated from other magazines, other ammunition and

explosives handling facilities, public roads, and inhabited

buildings. Orientation effects on intermagazine distance can

also be found in AR 385-64. The following table and Figure 1

show the Q-D requirements between standard magazines:

Orientation Minimum Separation for Separation for

 Standard Magazines W=500,000 pounds

Side-to-Side 1.25 W 100 feet 1/3

Rear-to-Front 2.00 W 160 feet 1/3

Side-to-Front 2.75 W 220 feet 1/3

Front-to-Front 6.00 W 480 feet 1/3

(barricaded)

Front-to-Front 11.00 W1/3 880 feet

(unbarricaded)

W = largest net explosive weight (NEW)

1-4. Magazine Grouping Concepts. Magazine grouping concepts are

provided in Figures 2 and 3. These concepts are typical layouts

found on most Army installations. Magazines may be placed in one

row or multiple rows. Siting is generally side-to-side and
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rear-to-front. Front-to-front orientation is seldom used because

of the excessive intermagazine separation distance required.

1-5. Storage and Outloading Drawings. Storage and outloading

drawings for ammunition are provided in U.S. Army Materiel

Command drawings 19-48-75-5 published and distributed by the U.S.

Army Ammunition Center and School (USADACS). These drawings will

assist Army activities and contractors in the effective use of

storage to ensure safe, economic and standardized procedures for

storing and transporting ammunition commodities. Its Index lists

the drawings that depict storage configurations (stacking

patterns) of ammunition and components in various types of

magazines.

1-6. Cost of Magazines. Construction cost estimates of

magazines for programming purposes can be found in AR 415-17.

1-7. Waivers and Exemptions. Waivers, exemptions, and site

general construction plan requests pertaining to Army owned

facilities will be processed in accordance with AR 385-64. They

are, however, discouraged since these waivers permit temporary

deviation from the standards.

1-8. Technical Assistance. Users of this pamphlet are

encouraged to communicate with the following organizations for

technical assistance:

a. Planning Ammunition Facilities:

U.S. Army Defense Ammunition Center and School (USADACS)

ATTN: SMCAC-AV

Savanna, IL 61074-9639

Telephone: DSN 585-8921.

b. Facilities-Related Explosive Safety Matters:

U.S. Army Technical Center for Explosives Safety (USATECS)

ATTN: SMCAC-ES

Savanna, IL 61074-9639

Telephone: DSN 585-8919, commercial (815) 273-8919.
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c. Magazine Designs and Criteria:

Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

ATTN: CEMP-ET

20 Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20314-1000

Telephone: 202-761-1436

U.S. Army Engineer Division, Huntsville

ATTN: CEHND-ED-CS

4820 University Drive

Huntsville, AL 35816-1822

Telephone: 205-895-1650.

d. Protective Design Technical Assistance:

U.S. Army Engineer District, Omaha

ATTN: CEMRO-ED-SH

215 North 17th Street

Omaha, NE 68102-4978

Telephone: 402-221-3177

e. Distribution of Magazines (drawings and specifications): 

U.S. Army Engineer Division, Huntsville

ATTN: CEHND-ED-ES (Service Section)

106 Wynn Drive

Huntsville, AL 35805-1957

Telephone: 205-955-4782
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CHAPTER II

STANDARD MAGAZINES

2-1. General. Standard magazines are preapproved for

construction and are mandatory for use within the Department of

Defense unless circumstances, such as less storage capacity,

require a non-standard design. The advantages of standard

designs are:

a. Design costs are saved.

b. obtaining approval from The DDESB is simplified.

c. Less real estate may be required because of certain

decreased intermagazine separations permitted when standard

magazines are used.

d. The user has confidence in the end product.

e. Flexibility of storage situations exists because

magazines can be designed to varying lengths.

f. Because of certain reduced separation distances, less

roads, fences, utilities, etc., may be required.

2-2. Description of Earth-Covered Magazines. A typical earthcovered magazine has the following features:

a. A semicircular arch, oval arch, or a rectangular box

constructed of reinforced concrete or steel or a combination

thereof.

b. A reinforced concrete floor slab, sloped for drainage.

c. A reinforced concrete rear wall.

d. A reinforced concrete headwall that extends at least 2-

1/2 feet above the top of the magazine.

e. Reinforced concrete wingwalls on either side of the

headwall. The wingwalls may slope to the ground or may adjoin

wingwalls from adjacent magazines. The wingwalls may be either

monolithic or separated by expansion joints from the headwall.

f. Heavy steel doors in the headwall (either manually

operated or motorized).
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g. An optional gravity ventilation system.

h. Earth cover over the top, sides and rear of the

magazine.

i. Lightning protection and grounding systems.

2-3. Standard Magazines. Standard magazine designs have been

developed in coordination with the Department of Defense

Explosive Safety Board (DDESB) so that designs would be

considered preapproved when called for in construction. The

largest sizes are about 25 feet wide. The length can vary, but

is usually 80 feet. Smaller magazines have widths ranging from

approximately 8 feet to 14 feet, with the length also varying.

a. Drawings approved for new construction. These standard

magazines, are for the most part, a complete set of construction

drawings with accompanying specifications. The magazines must,

however, be site-adapted for local conditions. These magazines

designs are approved for storing 500,000 pounds and may be

ordered from the U.S. Army Engineer Division, Huntsville.

(1) Semicircular steel arch - 33-15-65 (Figure 4)

(2) Reinforced concrete arch - 33-15-74 (Figure 5)

(3) Semicircular steel arch - 421-80-01 (Figure 6)

(4) Steel and concrete large box - 421-80-02 (Figure 7)

(5) Steel oval arch - 421-80-03 (Figure 8)

b. Older magazines found on Army installations:

(1) Mounded concrete - 33-15-06 (Figure 9)

(2) Atomic blast resistant - 33-15-58

(3) Stradley - 33-15-61 (Figure 10)

(4) Steel arch - AW 33-15-63

(5) Steel arch - AW 33-15-64 (Figure 11)

(6) Steel oval arch - 33-15-73

(7) Semicircular mounded concrete - 652 series
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2-4. Site-Adaptation. Standard magazines are meant to be siteadapted, that is, tailored to the peculiarities at each

particular location. For magazines, this tailoring mainly

involves the foundation and the drainage system. For instance,

if the soil bearing pressures at the construction location is

below the design value, then an increase in the footing width is

necessary. Also, a deep versus a shallow foundation is

influenced by the frost penetration depth at the particular site.

Site-adaptation also includes determining magazine length and

deciding whether ventilators are required. The protective

construction of the magazine (arch, headwall and door) must

remain unchanged. The 2-foot minimum earth cover must also be

maintained.

2-5. Changes to Standard Designs. changes to standard designs,

other than site adaptation, should not be made without

coordination with the DDESB. Any change will invalidate the

DDESB's approval and result in the magazine being considered nonstandard. This may require greater Q-D separations for those

magazines in certain situations.

2-6. DDESB Approval. Site plans for construction projects

containing magazines must be submitted in accordance with AR 385-

60 for review and approval by the DDESB for:

a. New construction.

b. Changes in utilization of facilities or mission

affecting Q-D requirements.

c. Major modification to facilities.

2-7. Specifications. Specifications have been developed for

each standard design, and are available with the drawings. Users

can obtain a set of these specifications for the construction

project with a request for the drawings. Deviations from these

specifications may compromise the quality of the constructed

project, and therefore must not be made. Design analyses may be

requested if required.
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CHAPTER III

MISCELLANEOUS CONSIDERATIONS

3-1. Earth Cover. Material for earth cover over magazines

should be reasonably cohesive (solid or wet clay, or similar

types of soil may not be used as they are too cohesive), free

from deleterious organic matter, trash, debris, and stones

heavier than 10 pounds or larger than 6 inches in diameter. The

larger stones should be limited to the lower center of fills and

will not be used for earth cover over magazines. Compaction and

surface preparation should be provided, as necessary, to maintain

structural integrity and avoid erosion. When it is impossible to

use a cohesive material, for example, in sandy soil, the earth

cover over magazines should be finished with a suitable material

to ensure structural integrity. The minimum earth cover over the

top of the magazine should be 2 feet, with a slope of 2

horizontal and 1 vertical. periodic maintenance must be

performed to ensure restoration of erosion of cover below the 2-

foot depth requirement. The earth-cover over and around the

magazine is a critical element of the standard design. It

provides some confinement and tends to directionalize the

explosive force both upward and outward from the door end of the

donor magazine. The cover over receiver magazines resists

fragment penetrations and provides mass to the arch to resist the

blast pressure. Where practical, earth cover should be seeded to

prevent soil erosion. Where rainfall is insufficient to maintain

grass cover, soil stabilization methods should be used.

3-2. Waterproofing. provisions are made in the standard

magazine designs to ensure watertightness of the magazine. The

type of magazine (steel or concrete) generally dictates the type

of waterproofing used. An elastomeric membrane is most suitable

on concrete arches, and a bituminous waterproofing is suitable on

steel magazines. Moisture proofing difficulty is increased with

steel-arch magazines because of the many lineal feet of joints.

3-3. Drainage Systems. Drainage systems are provided around the

magazines to channel the water away from the structure. For

concrete magazines, the drainage composite system is recommended.

The older sand-gravel filter system is more costly and should be

avoided, except for the steel arch where it is recommended due to

the corrugated configuration.

3-4. Doors. Magazine doors are either of the swinging or the

sliding type. Sliding doors are generally specified on large

magazines, and swinging doors on smaller magazines. Doors are
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designed to withstand the dynamic forces from an explosion in an

adjacent magazine and, therefore, are a critical element of the

magazine design. These doors do not provide resistance to the

effects of an explosion within the magazine.

3-5. Utilities and Power. The only utility usually required at

a magazine site is electricity. This power is needed for lights

at individual magazines, for perimeter lighting, and possibly for

operation of electronic security equipment.

3-6. Road Network. The road network is not part of the standard

design. The user must provide service to each magazine as part

of the site adaptation process. vehicle size and wheel loads

should be stated in the project development documentation.

Forklift loads are usually the most critical. Two-lane roads are

seldom required, except at the site entrance.

3-7. Aprons. Each magazine has an apron in front of its door to

allow for loading and unloading. The aprons slope away from the

door for drainage. Changes to the apron configuration to suit

user needs will not compromise the pre-approved status of the

standard design.

3-8. Retaining Walls (Wing walls). Retaining walls are for the

sole purpose of retaining the earth fill away from the magazine

doors. Construction type may vary from reinforced concrete,

precast concrete to reinforced-earth systems. The slope of these

walls should be 2 horizontal to 1 vertical.

3-9. Ventilation. Standard magazine designs usually include

provisions for ventilation. Ventilation is provided by louvered

openings in the headwall and ventilator stacks at the rear walls.

Magazines intended for weapons storage containing certain active

materials must be ventilated. Otherwise, louvers and ventilators

are optional. Their necessity and size should be determined

during the site adaptation based on material to be stored and

geographical location.

3-10. Security. The security at a magazine complex is an

integration of physical measures, equipment, and operational

procedures. procedures are left to the using agency, since they

are beyond the control of the designer. Limited security

features included in the standard designs are high security hasp

requirements at magazine doors (MIL-H-29181), steel bars at

openings, shrouded ventilators, and basic provisions, i.e., steel

conduit for electronic security equipment.

3-11. Cathodic protection. Cathodic protection may be required

for steel-arch magazines and should be considered in areas where
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galvanic action in some types of soils is likely to occur.

3-12. Lightning protection. Standard magazine designs include

an integral system of lightning protection. The system consists

of air terminals, roof conductors, down conductors, ground

connections, and ground, electrically interconnected to form the

shortest distance to ground. Lightning protection requirements

are clearly described in each magazine specifications.

3-13. Mixing of Standard and Non-Standard Magazines. Mixing of

standard and non-standard magazines is not cost effective and,

therefore, is discouraged. The element that greatly influence

the magazine classification (standard or non-standard) is the

headwall and its door. Since the headwall and door cost is a

small portion of the overall cost of the magazine, a greater

benefit is realized from the increased storage capacity in

standard magazines.
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CHAPTER IV

NON-STANDARD MAGAZINES

4-1. General. Non-standard earth covered magazines are those

not listed in AR 385-64. Non-standard magazines are approved for

all quantities of explosives up to 250,000 pounds. Earth cover

over the top of these magazines should be equal to or greater

than that required for standard magazines.

4-2. Evaluating Non-Standard Magazines. Th 5-1300 should be

used to design or evaluate the blast resistance of non-standard

magazines. Headwalls and doors of standard magazines are

designed for 100 psi overpressure and 22 millisecond load

duration (equivalent impulse of 1,100 psi-millisecond). Magazines

not classified as standard must be analyzed for this loading to

determine whether storage capacity can be increased to 500,000

pounds. A guide prepared by the U.S. Army Engineer Division,

Huntsville provides procedures for determining the adequacy of

the non-standard headwalls and doors to withstand blast effects

from a donor explosive source. The guide is based on TM 5-1300 1 

criteria and magazine tests.

4-3. Hybrid Magazines. Hybrid magazines have been developed and

used by installations to meet specific needs. As stated above,

these magazines use components from more than one standard

magazine. This type of magazine is not considered preapproved

for construction and, therefore, requires DDESB approval if it is

to be sited as a standard magazine. This magazine type offers no

real advantage over standard magazines and their use is

discouraged.

4-4. Preapproved Non-Standard Magazine. Magazine 422-15-01

(Figure 12) is a reinforced concrete cubicle magazine which is

preapproved for a limited storage of 425 pounds. This magazine

is approved for siting at the intermagazine separation distance

of standard magazines.

___________________

1U.S. Army Engineer Division, Huntsville, HNDED-CS-93-4,

"Guide for evaluating Blast Resistance of Non-Standard

Magazines", December 1994.
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