Interaction and coalescence of multiple simultaneous and non-simultaneous blast waves

Abstract

Interaction of multiple blast waves can be used to direct energy toward a target while simultaneously reducing collateral damage away from the target area. In this paper, simulations of multiple point source explosives were performed and the resulting shock interaction and coalescence behavior were explored. Three to ten munitions were placed concentrically around the target, and conditions at the target area were monitored and compared to those obtained using a single munition. For each simulation, the energy summed over all munitions was kept constant, while the radial distances between target and munitions and the munition initiation times were varied. Each munition was modeled as a point source explosion. The resulting blast wave propagation and shock front coalescence were solved using the inviscid Euler equations of gas dynamics on overlapping grids employing a finite difference scheme. Results show that multiple munitions can be beneficial for creating extreme conditions at the intended target area; over 20 times higher peak pressure is obtained for ten simultaneous munitions compared to a single munition. Moreover, peak pressure at a point away from the target area is reduced by more than a factor of three.