Abstract
A hydraulic energy redirection and release technology has been developed for mitigating the effects of blast shock waves on protected objects. The technology employs a liquid-filled plastic tubing as a blast overpressure transformer to transfer kinetic energy of blast shock waves into hydraulic energy in the plastic tubings. The hydraulic energy is redirected through the plastic tubings to the openings at the lower ends, and then is quickly released with the liquid flowing out through the openings. The samples of the specifically designed body armor in which the liquid-filled plastic tubings were installed vertically as the outer layer of the body armor were tested. The blast test results demonstrated that blast overpressure behind the body armor samples was remarkably reduced by 97% in 0.2 msec after the liquid flowed out of its appropriate volume through the openings. The results also suggested that a volumetric liquid surge might be created when kinetic energy of blast shock wave was transferred into hydraulic energy to cause a rapid physical movement or displacement of the liquid. The volumetric liquid surge has a strong destructive power, and can cause a noncontact, remote injury in humans (such as blast-induced traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder) if it is created in cardiovascular system. The hydraulic energy redirection and release technology can successfully mitigate blast shock waves from the outer surface of the body armor. It should be further explored as an innovative approach to effectively protect against blast threats to civilian and military personnel.
Highlights
In recent years, the usage of extremely powerful explosive devices in military operations and in terrorist attacks on civilian targets has become the hallmark of modern warfare and an increasing threat to both civilian and military personnel [1]
After a blast shock wave acted on the test sample, the action force of blast shock wave and the reaction force exerted by Kevlar panel compressed the water-filled plastic tubing and pushed water moving toward the opening at the lower end of the plastic tubing
About 0.22–0.37 ml of water were removed from a single plastic tubing through the opening, which meant that 6,10% of total volume of water in the plastic tubings could be discharged in response to the impact of blast shock wave
Summary
The usage of extremely powerful explosive devices in military operations and in terrorist attacks on civilian targets has become the hallmark of modern warfare and an increasing threat to both civilian and military personnel [1]. A blast shock wave is a highpressure area that expands rapidly outward from an explosive center as a sphere of compressed gases. When a blast shock wave interacts with a medium (solid, liquid, gas or plasma), the energy can be absorbed or transformed to kinetic energy of the medium that accelerates a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. It initiates a retardation and energy absorbing process that captures the blast shock wave, and results in the rapid physical movement, displacement, deformation or breakage of the medium [4]
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