Abstract
The blast simulator at the University of California, San Diego is a unique tool for conducting full-scale testing of blast effects on structures without the use of explosive materials. This blast simulator uses high speed hydraulic actuators to launch specially designed modules toward the specimen, thereby imparting impulse in a blast-like manner. This method of testing offers numerous advantages over field tests with actual explosives, including cost, turn-around time, repeatability, and a clear view of the progression of damage in the specimen. The viability of this method is established by comparing results obtained in the blast simulator with results obtained with actual explosives. The process by which the impulse is imparted to the specimen is then described by a detailed model based on the equivalent single degree of freedom method. Impulse calculated by the model is found to be in good agreement with the experimentally recorded values. Calculated impulse is found to be relatively insensitive to assumptions made about the specimen's resistance function (often not well known before a test) implying that the model can be used with confidence in designing an experimental study.
Highlights
Critical infrastructure has proven vulnerable to attack from improvised explosives such as car or truck bombs
Having demonstrated the validity of UCSD blast simulator results vis-a-vis field testing, we describe from a theoretical point of view the blast-like load produced by the UCSD blast simulator during a laboratory test
The UCSD blast simulator is a unique tool for conducting full-scale testing of blast effects on structures without the use of actual explosives
Summary
Critical infrastructure has proven vulnerable to attack from improvised explosives such as car or truck bombs. As will be discussed further, the UCSD blast simulator can accurately replace field testing as long as (1) the characteristic response time of the specimen is much longer than the energy deposition time of the explosive, and (2) the pressure time history of the explosive has a negligible negative phase This scenario is representative of loading applied to critical structural members (whose failure could lead to progressive collapse) by large, close-in charges. The specimen is supported by a second strong wall and the two are connected by a strong floor As used in this blast simulator, a blast generator (BG) is a high speed hydraulic actuator with close-coupled, high pressure, nitrogen accumulators (Fig. 3) that can quickly bring a large mass to high speed. We find that the model is in reasonable agreement with the shape of the pressure pulse applied to the specimen
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