Numerical Estimation of Variation of Pressure and Temperature of Expanding Blast Wave with Time due to Detonation of High Explosives in Air

Abstract

AbstractHigh explosives on detonation generate high pressure shock waves moving initially at very high velocities in the ambient medium and damage the encountered targets. The expanding hot gases in blast waves are also responsible for the damage. The extent of damage to a target depends on the magnitude of pressure or impulse and also on temperature due to explosion. A theoretical analysis is carried out to predict the temperature produced in the expanding blast as a function of distance and time by solving analytically the governing equations. The initial peak pressure and temperature of a blast wave, which are required in the theoretical analysis, were calculated making use of the blast wave theory. Results obtained for blast pressures at different distances using this theory were published by the authors earlier. The same numerical analysis is used for obtaining variation of pressure and temperature with time and presented in this paper. High explosives namely TNT, Composition ‘B’, PBX, and Hexolite of varying weights are considered in the present study.