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Cannons are military or civil weapons supported on carriages or fixed mounts and used in warfare as well as against rebellions. Now, most of the cannons are exhibited in museums, forts, public and private buildings, and open places. Moreover, historical documents provide information on different types of forge-welded or cast cannons, which were manufactured both in India and abroad. Like in other museums, six iron cannons are housed at the Odisha State Maritime Museum, Cuttack, Odisha, India. Among them, two Low Moor (LM) cannons are displayed at the museum's main entrance, one LM and a Walker Company (WC) cannon are exhibited adjacent to the dockyard located in the museum, and two smaller cannons are displayed in the museum gallery. Similarly, two LM and two WC cannons are displayed at Residency, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, which were deployed during the First War of India's independence in 1857. None of the LM and WC cannons has displayed a considerable degree of corrosion despite their exposure to the open environment for a long duration. Electron microscopy studies of the LM and WC cannons of the Odisha State Maritime Museum were carried out to ascertain corrosion and decay. This study deals with the results of chemical analysis of the LM and WC cannons, emphasizing the fact that the corrosion rate of these cannons is significantly less than other cannons of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Firth's were the first of the Sheffield steel makers to enter the field armaments. Their involvement with Colt has been outlined in an article in the journal of the Colt Collectors Association in America and their activities as steelmakers to the small-arms industries has been covered in a previous issue of this Journal. This article gives a brief overview of their involvement as manufacturers in the field of heavy armaments, being the first to make all-steel guns and their evolving role in the use of steel for ordnance, culminating in the displacement of wrought iron by the adoption of steel for ordnance manufacture by the Royal Gun Factory in the 1880s. It also highlights their development of stainless steel in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) in the U.S. MIRV missiles carry comparatively smaller individual warheads that allows a single launch of missile to strike several targets. The technology of MIRV tends to continue any strategic arms restriction in certain degree of ambiguity that enhances the expected development of strike-force advantage in the future. Its development tolerates SS-9 force capable of throwing 300 MIRV and assumes to intensify the strike force power of 500 MIRVs.

World artillery in the present scenario is changing its role from defensive to aggressive nature and is attempting to achieve higher penetration into enemy targets. Even for an autofrettaged gun barrel, higher ranges requirement leads to higher barrel weight and its associated demerits. The design of gun barrel is based on the choice of yield criteria. Tresca yield criterion provides conservative design for a ductile barrel material. On the other hand, more accurate von Mises criterion presents complexity. The two criteria to evaluate various parameters required for design of an autofrettaged gun barrel are compared. The methodology for evaluation of maximum safe pressure, based on von Mises criterion, for an autofrettaged gun barrel is also included in the paper. Based on case study included in the article, for an autofrettaged gun barrel or pressure vessel with uniform thickness, a theoretical weight reduction of approximately 16 per cent is feasible with von Mises criterion as compared to Tresca criterion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a result of military training and weapon testing activities, unexploded ordnance (UXO; including munitions such as bombs, projectiles, and mines that did not function as intended) are present in underwater environments. Munitions are also present at underwater sites as discarded military munitions (DMM). In addition to explosive safety considerations, regulators are increasingly concerned about potential ecological impacts on the aquatic environment following corrosion and breaching shells that may cause the slow release of the explosive material by dissolution to the surrounding sediments and water column. Challenges such as the high level of effort required to identify leaking munitions and potential for slow and intermittent release resulting in ultralow concentrations (i.e., part per trillion) may hinder the assessment of environmental exposures using traditional water sampling and analysis techniques. Recently, integrative passive samplers, specifically polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS), have been demonstrated by our team to be valuable tools for the environmental exposure assessment of munition constituents (MC) in aquatic environments. POCIS can be deployed for weeks to months and continuously sample the water, providing the opportunity to capture episodic events or fluctuations in contaminant release, even at low concentrations. The resulting time-weighted average (TWA) water concentration can then be compared with screening values in the context of ecological risk potential and relevance for remedial action. Our preliminary results from POCIS employed under field conditions indicate that it is a robust approach to understanding and validating the release and transport behaviors of MC and subsequent exposure characterization in the vicinity of potentially breached UXO or DMM in ocean environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater unexploded ordnances (UXOs) pose a significant threat to human health and safety as well as the environment. The understanding of the scour around UXOs is essential for remediation actions. Many previous studies simplified UXOs as cylinders. We report an experimental and computational study on the hydrodynamics and morphodynamics around a real UXO and the comparison with a cylinder. With detailed flume data and simulation results, we show the UXO shape has a great impact on the hydrodynamics and the consequent scour and burial process. The shape effects also convolute with the flow's angle of attack, making it even more important to consider the shape of UXOs. Hence, two angles of attack, 45° and 90° were investigated. The bulk behavior of scour around UXOs is akin to scour around any slender object placed on a sediment bed. However, the detailed scour process is significantly different. Our results show that flow contraction near the two ends of UXOs, recirculation behind the object, vortex shedding downstream, and jet-like flow under the object all play dominant roles during different stages of scour. In addition, we generalized the scour process around UXOs and other objects by applying a scaling analysis based on first principles of physics. A fitted saturation growth-rate equation relating scour volume and time collapses data reasonably well. • The shape of munition object and angle of attack have significant impact on flow and scour. • A new time scaling for local scour progression was proposed. • A generalized theory on scour volume around munition objects was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The method of neutralising ordnance by rinsing explosive materials with a solution enables significant cost saving while reducing the risk pyrotechnic personnel is exposed to, especially during ammunition transport to recycling sites. Costs for necessary special equipment are minimal. The technology is easy to be automated using an electronic and remotely controlled drilling process which reduces the risk of explosion to the minimum. This demining method will prove effective especially for operations against guerrilla mine warfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable attention has been paid in the literature to the changing style of Ordnance Survey mapping in the twentieth century. However, little has been written about the origins of the characteristic appearance of the first multi-colour editions, other that the Ordnance Survey used a military edition that was already in production. The distinctive style grew out of the work of a committee established in 1892 by the War Office to consider future army requirements for a map of the UK. This paper explores the work of the committee and its long-term implications for the look of mapping in the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The antiaircrafts cannons guns housing is endowed by a helical compression spring, which have the function to accumulate the recul energy, energy used to reposition a reculant part. In this case the helical compression spring loads are dynamic, a fatigue-stress situation exists in the spring. In this paper is presented an method to optimization designing for this helical compression springs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the role of James Burton in the diffusion of military technology in the mid-19th century Burton worked as the Master Armorer at the Harpers Ferry Armory, as a contractor in the Connecticut Valley, and as an engineer at the Enfield Armory. At each location he incorporated the latest ideas of the American System of Manufacturing. Not only did he transmit new ideas, he visited, studied, and learned from his international peers. When the American Civil War began, he joined the Confederate Ordnance Department and helped the South continue a long and destructive war. The new technological ideas--bred out of necessity of war--continued to help shape the creation of a New South. After the war, Burton influenced weapons manufacturing in Russia, Italy, Turkey, and Egypt. The ideas that Burton helped implement is a case study of international technological diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last ten years, the Serbian Army has been facing the problem of surplus of vadous ordnance, which resulted from the changes in the organizational structure and rationalization. In addition, at several locations in Serbia there is still a large amount of unexploded ordnance remaining after the NATO bombing. The paper examined the environmental aspects of the destruction of surplus ammunition and unexploded ordnance. A brief survey of the methods of destruction and the technological conditions for their implementation are presented. The impact of toxic constituents of ordnance on human health and the environment is analized in particular. In order to minimize environmental risks during the demilitarization process of ordnance, appropriate proposals are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article provides background information on issues of Bi-modular charge system designed for 155 mm-calibre weapon system. It summarizes the principles of design and knowledge gained during the development stage, and provides information about firing of modules in the testing cannon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bomb technicians perform their work while encapsulated in explosive ordnance disposal suits. Designed primarily for safety, these suits have an unintended consequence of impairing the body's natural mechanisms for heat dissipation. Consequently, bomb technicians are known to experience symptoms of heat illness while performing their work. This research provides the first field based analysis of heat strain in bomb technicians. Six participants undertook simulated operational tasks across 2 days of variable climate. All subjects demonstrated high levels of heat strain as evidenced by elevated heart rate, core body temperature, and physiological strain index. Participants also reported signs and symptoms associated with heat illness. These results were exacerbated by more intense physical activity despite being undertaken in a cooler environment. The universal experience of heat strain in this sample has significant implications for the health of bomb technicians and additional research examining methods to improve temperature regulation and performance is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the performance and task of rear services personnel in supporting the XXX Division's counterattack in self-defense along the Sino-Vietnamese border. It mentions that rear services provide support to troops including munitions for guns, first-aid materials, food, and military vehicles. It outlines the functions of rear area command and organization in the prebattle preparations as well as the role of leaders and Party Committees in the rear service support. It also discusses the methods used for the different kinds of service support including the ordnance service, health service, and transportation.

The article offers a fact sheet from the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs in Washington, D.C. concerning munitions storage. The reports "Major Ammunition Accidents--1916 to 2008" by U.S. Army (Retired) Colonel George Zahaczewsky and "Recent Explosive Events in Ammunition Storage Areas" from the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons are mentioned.

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) site characterization must consider both how the contamination is generated and how we observe that contamination. Within the generation and observation processes, dependence structures can be exploited at multiple scales. We describe a conceptual site characterization process, the dependence structures available at several scales, and consider their statistical estimation aspects. It is evident that most of the statistical methods that are needed to address the estimation problems are known but their application-specific implementation may not be available. We demonstrate estimation at one scale and propose a representation for site contamination intensity that takes full account of uncertainty, is flexible enough to answer regulatory requirements, and is a practical tool for managing detailed spatial site characterization and remediation. The representation is based on point process spatial estimation methods that require modern computational resources for practical application. These methods have provisions for including prior and covariate information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the U.S. has opposed calls to ban the use of cluster munitions, weapons incorporating separate explosive submunitions or bomblets. The U.S. government believes that these weapons are legal, serve legitimate and important military requirements, and cause only a small proportion of postconflict civilian casualties resulting from unexploded ordnance. The U.S. has also called for international measures to increase the reliability of cluster munitions in order to lessen the likelihood of postconflict casualties caused by unexploded submunitions.

The article reports on Lake Ontario Ordnance Works with emphasis on its history as well as on the facility's implications to its immediate environment. The author argues that the facility has secluded form the public by reason of its crucial role to national security. The Lake Ontario Ordnance Works offers significant information on the political as well as on the socio-political cost of the Cold War and the second world war. Moreover, the facility also offers information on the ways and means employed by the United States government on nuclear waste management.

In order to improve means for locating unexploded ordnance items (UXO) and significantly discriminating UXO from clutter, it is desired to tag ordnance items before they are delivered. The munition tagging envisioned will make use of current passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tag technology. The tags will provide information on the munition's location and identity when the UXO tag interrogation module is brought nearby. Knowledge of the magnetic field's behavior is essential in understanding the designs required to transmit energy from the above-ground interrogator to the tag and from the tag back to the above-ground receiver. The munition, being a large metal structure in such close proximity to the tags, will affect their operation because of electromagnetic boundary conditions and the tags' specific circuitry. To this end, modeling of the magnetic fields was required. This paper presents the results of this modeling effort and includes experimental findings. The modeling efforts demonstrated that detection depths to 1 m would be achievable, provided the system is magnetically optimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current U.S. nuclear strategy identifies new nuclear counterforce missions as a means of impeding the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The strategy appears to overvalue these counterforce missions. U.S. conventional weapons can destroy most targets that can be destroyed with nuclear weapons; only moderately deep and precisely located targets can be destroyed only by nuclear weapons. In addition, the benefits of nuclear counterforce—which could include deterrence, damage limitation, and the continued ability of the United States to pursue its foreign policy objectives—are relatively small, because the United States possesses large nuclear forces and highly effective conventional forces. Finally, nuclear counterforce would bring a variety of costs, including an increased probability of accidental war and unnecessary preemptive attacks in a severe crisis. Nevertheless, the case for nuclear counterforce is stronger than during the Cold War, when the enormous size and redundancy of U.S. and Soviet forces rendered counterforce useless. When facing a small nuclear force, the United States may decide to use counterforce to limit damage. Although complex trade-offs are involved, if there are critical targets that can be destroyed only with nuclear weapons, then under a narrow set of conditions the benefits of planning for damage limitation might exceed the dangers. The United States must not, however, rely on nuclear counterforce to support a more assertive foreign policy; doing so would unjustifiably increase the probability of nuclear war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rig for shooting anchors and piles into the ground, and the range its practical application are described. Fundamentals of the theory of the impulsive impression of structural components are presented. A method is proposed for approximate determination of the force exerted by the soil in resisting the movement of structural components embedded from artillery cannons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ordnance establishment of British India was rightly regarded as the fourth arm of defence by the British. Especially after the 1857 mutiny, they understood that fire-power generated by the artillery and advanced small arms actually led to victory against numerically superior 'rebels'. Instead of depending on imports from Britain, which were not only time-consuming, but costly and also intermittent, the colonial state decided to lay the foundation of an industrial base for manufacturing military stores. This was in anticipation of future military threats. Neverthless, several factors hampered the expansion and modernization of the arms and munitions factories. This article, based on some hitherto unused sources, is the first attempt to chart the evolution of the ordnance factories until the Great War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]