Blast load assessment by simplified and advanced methods

Abstract

▪ Blast waves produced by the detonation of a high explosive material in the open air can be quantified with reasonable accuracy using empirical techniques based on scaled distance if the geometry of the situation being assessed is simple.

▪ When the geometry in which the explosion occurs is somewhat more complex (e.g. when an explosion occurs inside a building), semi-empirical techniques in which experimental data is combined with an analytical approach, may provide assessments of sufficient accuracy.

▪ When a blast wave propagates in a very complex geometry environment, empirical or semi-empirical techniques may be inadequate for an assessment with reliable accuracy to be made. In such cases numerical simulation using specially designed software may be necessary.