Blast Wave Attenuation by Dry Aqueous Foams

Abstract

Blast waves resulting from explosions in air can cause serious damages to structures and human being located at many charge radii from the explosion point of origin. When the detonation wave propagating through the condensed explosive reaches the air interface, an intense shock wave with order of hundred atmospheres pressure is propagated radially outwards through the air. It has been shown that the strength of the blast wave can be greatly attenuated by surrounding the explosive charge with aqueous foam [3]. In the last half century, several laboratories in the world have been conducting experimental campaigns to characterise the efficiency of aqueous foam to mitigate blast waves. The goal of this presentation is to understand the underlying physics and to model the multiphase flow resulting from the blast wave/foam interaction.