The 300 Area
The largest area geographically, the 300 area, was the Explosives research area. This area included 50 or more buildings in which a wide range of explosives activities were performed, ranging from basic compound research and new formulations, to large scale weapon systems design. Some building were large manufacturing facilities while others were very small (< 100 sq ft) housing a single scientist and his or her lab and office space.
The largest test facility was Building 327, the 50-Pound Bombproof Facility, which became operational in 1984. The center of the building housed a 20' x 20' x 16' steel-lined reinforced concrete test chamber capable of containing an explosion equivalent to 50 pounds of TNT. Numerous sophisticated high speed cameras, x-ray equipment, and high speed electronics were used to monitor a wide range of experiments. A four inch (102 mm) single stage light gas gun and one inch two stage light gas gun set up to fire projectiles into the chamber further extended the facility's capabilities.
Read more about this topic: Naval Ordnance Laboratory
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