Environmental Monitoring of Airflex Shelters in Okinawa

The U.S. Army Defense Ammunition Center and School (USADACS), Validation Engineering Division (SMCAC-DEV), was tasked by Office of the Project Manager, Ammunition Logistics (PM-AMMOLOG) to monitor the environmental conditions of ammunition stored in Airflex shelters at the 83d Ordnance Battalion, Chibana Ammunition Supply Branch, Okinawa. A total of eight Airflex shelters were installed in 0kinawa with four at Pad 42626 and four at Pad 42635. Three of the four Airflex shelters at each site were instrumented with one temperature/humidity probe per shelter. The probes were placed at the top, middle, and bottom of each of the three respective Airflex shelters. A temperature/humidity probe was also installed to monitor the ambient conditions that were occurring outside the Airflex shelters at each of the test sites. Results from the monitoring indicated that the Airflex shelters increased the temperature of the upper portion of the ammunition during exposure to solar radiation and failed to significantly reduce the humidity levels to which the ammunition was exposed.