DDESB Technical Paper (TP) 15 Update and Standard ECM Designs Approved
for New Construction
Author: Ryan W. Bowers, MS, PE; U.S. Army Engineering & Support Center; Huntsville, AL, USA
Keywords: Technical Paper 15, protective construction, earth-covered magazine, blast loading, barricading,
structural strength designation
Abstract
DDESB Technical Paper (TP) 15, “Approved Protective Construction,” contains information on protective
construction used by the DoD for explosives safety purposes, intended to meet the criteria of DoDM 6055.09, “DoD
Ammunition and Explosives Safety Standards”
1
. The document is currently being updated, and Revision 4 will be
published in 2018. The current version of TP 15, Revision 3
2
, is dated May 2010, so there is a considerable amount
of information to incorporate in the update. The new revision will be a modernized document incorporating recent
protective construction approvals and a reduced list of standard earth covered magazine (ECM) designs approved for
new construction. The reduced list of eleven actively maintained 7-Bar ECM designs include various construction
types, such as reinforced concrete arch and box, modular precast concrete, and metal arch types. Future revisions of
TP 15 will likely see the paper hosted online as a “living document” with support documentation, such as
engineering drawings, approval memos, and technical reports, available to registered users.
Introduction
The Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board (DDESB) publishes and maintains a set of technical papers to
supplement its set of official explosives safety issuances. These papers typically present topics in greater technical
detail than other issuances, serving as guidance related to approved calculation methodologies or preparation of
official submissions. One of these papers is DDESB Technical Paper (TP) 15, titled “Approved Protective
Construction,” which is a record of historically significant information about the origin and evolution of protective
construction designs and the explosives safety criteria associated with them. It documents ammunition and
explosives (AE) storage facilities and other protective construction designs currently and previously approved by the
DDESB. Its intent is to educate and inform users in the explosives safety community of how criteria were developed
and influenced and to serve as a source of approved designs for use in the community.
The current version of TP 15, Revision 3, is dated May 2010. Since the purpose of the paper is to document up-to-
date approvals of protective construction designs and relevant criteria, a new revision is clearly needed for accurate
and complete information to be communicated to the explosives safety community. The DDESB has recently
assigned responsibility for updating the paper to the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center (CEHNC)
Structural Branch. Updates in the draft Revision 4 include incorporating protective construction approvals issued
since the last revision, updating information on criteria development, and correcting inaccurate historical
information. As of the date of this publication, Revision 4 is in draft final status and undergoing final editing and
will subsequently be sent for review by the Services. Issuance is expected in 2018. This paper discusses the history
of TP 15’s development, as well as its format and features, the changes expected in future versions, and the updated
list of AE storage magazines approved for new construction.
History
TP 15 was originally developed by the DDESB, with Mr. Eric Deschambault leading the development effort, and
published in February 2001. This original version was a major effort of collecting, consolidating, and presenting
historical information and DDESB approval documentation related to protective construction. A second version of
