Ogden Arsenal, Primer Loading Building for 37mm Shell Loading, 7726 North Carolina Way, Layton

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER UTAH,6-LAY.V,1AZ-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

North Carolina Way, Hill Air Force Base, Layton Vicinity, Davis County, Utah Note: For shelving purposes at the Library of Congress, Layton Vicinity in Davis County was assigned as the "official" location of Hill Air Force Base. However, Building is actually in the Ogden Vicinity of Weber County. Date of Construction: Architect: Unknown Builder: Unknown

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER UTAH,6-LAY.V,1AZ-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Primers for anti-tank ammunition were assembled in Building which is the only one of its kind on the Base. This building provides particularly vivid insight into the processes involved in the manufacture of munitions and contributes to an understanding of the U.S. Army build-up which occurred on the eve of and during World War II. History: The introduction of various types of ammunition manufacture at Ogden Arsenal during World War II necessitated the construction of many new buildings which took various forms as related to their specific functions within the overall manufacture and storage processes. Primers, one component of anti-tank ammunition, were assembled in Building Each primer contained a "blasting cap" that was placed inside a cylindrical aluminum capsule.

These blasting caps were filled with Black Powder, an explosive that is sensitive to impact, friction, and sparks. The primers that were assembled in Building were transferred to other loading plants at the Arsenal, where they were placed in anti-tank ammunition. Ogden Arsenal, PRIMER LOADING BUILDING FOR SHELL LOADING HAER No. UT-84-AZ Page 2 The explosive train in WWII-era anti-tank ammunition was three-fold. Upon impact with a target, small fuzes (manufactured in the East and West Fuze Plants at Ogden Arsenal) detonated and ignited the primer, which, in turn, initiated the main explosion of the shell.

Due to the highly volatile nature of the chemicals involved, this building was designed in the "Arsenal Style," with concrete firewalls that extend through the roofline separating all rooms that housed explosives. This concrete skeleton supports exterior walls that are constructed of lightweight hollow tile blocks that were engineered to absorb and deflect the force of an explosion outward, away from the rest of the building. The broad hip-roof overhang provides a canopy for circulation between rooms that are only accessible to each other from the exterior. Building also contains a eight structural bays that spread across a large, open, column-free interior space.

After blasting caps were loaded and sealed in smaller rooms, they were transferred into this larger room for final assembly and packing. The south end of the building was utilized for storage, bathrooms, coat rooms, and an office. General Description: Building located in the original Primer Loading Plant Area, is a one-story, gable-roofed building with a five-foot eave overhang on all four sides. It measures x and is constructed of concrete and red tile with a corrugated asbestos roof. The floor of the building consists of a continuous 6-inch concrete slab and 4" x 4" welded wire mesh and footer system. The roof structure, including the overhang, is composed of steel beams on light exposed steel framing. Each of the gable ends have a small, continuous hipped roof canopy.

Although the side walls retain some of their original steel frame windows, the majority of the windows have been filled with concrete block.