The Blast Load Generator is under development at the U.S. Army Engineers Waterways Experimental Station at Vicksburg, Mississippi. It will be used to simulate blast loading for experimental effects studies. Propellant burning inside cylindrical perforated tubes is used to pressurize the Blast Load Generator. Picatinny Arsenal analog personnel were requested to simulate the operation, in order to arrive at the correct propellant charge for generation of given required pressures. Results obtained with a preliminary analog simulation setup gave an approximate picture of the Blast Load Generator. It was established that the over-pressure can be controlled by the vent area, the amount of propellant, and the propellant web. However, since the analog setup is still in its initial stages, several important items must be determined before accurate design of the charges can be undertaken. For example, the thermal coefficients and the effective surface area for heat transfer must be determined. Hence, the results presented in this report can be seen only as approximations and should be used only to indicate trends and guide future tests. (Author).

The report describes the work performed to bring the Large Blast Load Generator to the point where actual test firings in the completely assembled equipment could be undertaken. The areas of major effort were: development of suitable explosive and propellant primary charges, containments and firing trains; assisting in proof testing the individual firing tubes to demonstrate their strength and freedom from flaws; drawing up recommendations for preparations, precautions and operating protocol for the initial test firings; assisting in development of sealing techniques to permit performance of high pressure hydrostatic tests on the pressure vessel; and providing engineering analysis of the hydraulic jack system for the platen rail lift mechanism.