OVERVIEW

There are only three practical ways to support and position the target in the incident field, and we discuss them in this chapter in the chronological order of their development. The three are plastic foam columns, string suspension systems and the metal pylon. Foam columns and string supports are more often used in indoor test chambers than on outdoor test ranges, while the metal pylon (almost always called the pole by range crews) is a more common support fixture for outdoor tests. Even so, all three have been used at one time or another both indoors and outdoors. We include at the end of the chapter unusual and seldom-used methods of target support, simply to present the reader with innovative ideas that have arisen from time to time.

While much of the information presented in this chapter has appeared in other books [1, 2, 3], as well as in reports and papers describing the original investigations and development of support structure technology, we repeat that information here for completeness. In defense of the repetition, the chapter is the most complete summary of target support technology published to date.

3.1 FOAM COLUMNS