UNCLASSIFIED
1
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.
UNCLASSIFIED
A Critical Review of TNT Equivalency
International Explosives Safety Symposium & Exposition
6-9 August 2018
San Diego CA
Brian E. Fuchs
1
, Josephine Covino
2
, Ernest Baker
3
1
U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC)
Picatinny NJ, 07806
2
Department of Defense Explosives Safety Board (DDESB)
3
Munitions Safety Information Analysis Center (MSIAC)
Abstract
Background
For the military the ability to predict the effect of detonating or deflagrating energetic materials
on the surroundings is of great interest. This is applicable for military field operations where the
quantity and arrangement of explosive charges required to complete a mission must be in an easy
to understand set of instructions. It is also important in safety planning in order to safely store,
transport, and field munitions. The use of explosive equivalence is complicated by the variety of
explosives that are available and their different explosive effects. An understanding of the utility
and limits of relative equivalence is required.
The TNT equivalence, or Relative Effectiveness (RE) factor, is the ratio of the explosive
to that of a known quantity of TNT that have the same effect, Equation 1. In the literature TNT
equivalence and Relative Effectiveness factor are both used, RE is generally used for demolition
1
while TNT equivalence for safety evaluations.
=
The term TNT equivalency has been widely misused and misinterpreted when expressing
energy yields from munitions and explosives. This paper will focus on how these
approximate yields are an estimate of the actual output. This paper will also address how
the values can change depending on many parameters and methods of measurement.
