500 Pound Concrete Practice Bomb: A Feasibility Assessment

Preliminary results show that reinforced concrete is a promising material for producing practice versions of the 500 lb MK82 bomb. To duplicate the mass and moment of inertia of the live store the concrete is required to have a density range of 2.5 to 3.2 g cm -3 depending on the amount and distribution of steel in the design chosen. The higher concrete densities can be achieved by using haematite as aggretate. Substantial savings in the unit cost of practice bombs are indicated particularly when the quantity of steel in a design is reduced. Compliance with the flight, arrest and catapult conditions of MIL-A-8591E have been shown by computation. Prototype building and testing has still to be performed before full compliance with MIL-A-8591E can be assured.