A study of combined particle and blast wave loading of structures

Abstract

In structural dynamics there are many instances where an appreciation of the combined effect of particulate and air blast loading are essential if an accurate prediction of structural response is to be attained. Examples include: the loading of structures via the detonation of cased munitions; the interaction of blast waves and secondary fragmentation with internal building components after an external contact explosion and the loading of vehicle bellies via the detonation of mines buried in soil. As an analytical simplification, engineers often incorporate the effect of particulate loading by applying a load factor to calculations of the blast component alone. In some cases the fragmentation, can indeed be considered as merely incidental but in others, analysis and experiments have indicated that the presence of inert matter within or in close proximity to a detonated explosive can alter the magnitude, spatial distribution and duration of loading applied to a structure. This paper describes a series of numerical simulations, conducted using the AUTODYN hydrocode, in which the effect of detonating an explosive within a matrix of particles, and the subsequent blast and particulate interaction with a target, was simulated. The total momentum transferred to a target and the spatial momentum distribution is evaluated for both mines buried under soil and confined air blasts. The momentum transferred is investigated as a function of the technique used to model particulation and detonation proximity. These comparisons offer an insight into the mechanisms by which buried blast mines load structures and lead to explanations of differences observed in thin plates deforming under simulated mine blast attacks.