Contact: Mike Stanley
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Phone: 575.835.5312
Fax: 575.835.5630
The EMRTC Drop Test Structure (DTS) is constructed specifically to NATO Standardization Agreement (STANAG) No. 4375 - "Safety Drop, Munition Test Procedures". The DTS consists of two towers, a pair of anchor blocks, a pair of main support cables, and an impact pad. The towers are 75 ft in height and are spaced 50 ft apart. Each tower consists of a 56,000 pound reinforced concrete foundation a lower structural unit consisting of a vertical 35 foot long I-beam with an attached 20 foot long I-beam reinforcing leg and an upper structural unit consisting of a vertical 55 foot long I-beam capped with a sheave block assembly. The impact pad consists of eight 4 inch thick rolled homogeneous armor (RHA) steel plates arranged to form a nearly uniform (within 0.25 inch) 24 foot by 24 foot area. Each plate is 6 feet wide by 12 feet long and weighs 12,000 pounds. The steel plates are supported by 18 inches of crusher fines that were roller compacted in 4 to 6 inch lifts. Compacted crusher fines finish off the perimeter of the test pad. This material is level with the top of the impact plates and extends outward an additional 8 feet on all sides of the impact plates.
The DTS has been stress tested to ensure that the entire system is structurally sound and safe for live ordnance tests. This test consisted of suspending a 5,000 pound weight from the main support cables for one hour. Upon full application of the trial load, there was no measurable sign of cable stretch, bending of the towers, or any other indication that the system was not structurally sound.