Detonation Of Explosive Charge Research Articles

Design of a simplified cranial substitute with a modal behavior close to that of a human skull.

Individuals exposed to the propagation of shock waves generated by the detonation of explosive charges may suffer Traumatic Brain Injury. The mechanism of cranial deflection is one of many hypotheses that could explain the observed brain damage. To investigate this physical phenomenon in a reproducible manner, a new simplified cranial substitute was designed with a mechanical response close to that of a human skull when subjected to this type of loading. As a first step, a Finite Element Model was employed to dimension the new substitute. The objective was indeed to obtain a vibratory behavior close to that of a dry human skull over a wide range of frequencies up to 10kHz. As a second step, the Finite Element Model was used together with Experimental Modal Analyses to identify the vibration modes of the substitute. A shaker excited the structure via a metal rod, while a laser vibrometer recorded the induced vibrations at defined measurement points. The results showed that despite differences in material properties and geometry, the newly developed substitute has 10/13 natural frequencies in common with those of dry human skulls. When filled with a simulant of cerebral matter, it could therefore be used in future studies as an approximation to assess the mechanical response of a simplified skull substitute to a blast threat.

Layout considerations on compound survival shelters for blast mitigation: A finite-element approach

The safety of both military personnel and equipment in unstable regions has for a long time been a major issue and concern. Protective shelters with multiple configurations have been widely used to meet safety requirements. Since military compounds are subjected to different types of threats, such as the detonation of improvised explosive devices (IED), a good understanding of the response of such shielding structures to blast waves is critical. A three-dimensional finite element (FE) model of a corner-entry ISO 20 ft container HESCO-Bastion survival shelter is developed, validated and tested under the external detonation of explosive charges. The FE model is validated against experimental data and used to investigate the protective performance of the shelter by considering several design-related parameters, such as charge location, roof extension, interior corridor dimensions and the effect of venting and its location. Results are discussed in terms of peak overpressure and maximum impulse at discrete locations around the container, and it is found that the shelter is the least efficient in mitigating the blast load propagation when the explosive material is at an angle of 45° to the entrance. Also, while the protective roof at the entrance plays a significant role in protecting the container from air-borne threats, it is observed that it contributes to higher pressure and impulse data within the shelter, for detonations at ground level, with impulse amplifications as high as 94% when fully covering the entrance area. Contrarily, varying the distance between the container and the HESCO-Bastions is found to have minimal impact on the impulse, while naturally decreasing the peak pressure for increasing distances. Venting (through openings) can lead to up to 95% reduction in the peak pressure, whilst not affecting the impulse.

System modeling and simulation of flyer acceleration and explosive detonation in exploding foil initiator

In this theoretical study on an exploding foil initiator (EFI), the sequential events in an EFI system were numerically modeled and investigated from metallic bridge burst by ohmic heating and flyer acceleration by plasma expansion to explosive detonation by high-speed flyer impact. The EFI system modeling employed mass, momentum, and energy conservation coupled with the resistance–inductance–capacitance circuit equation of the initiation circuit and plasma property calculations of highly dense metallic plasma as well as a semi-empirical detonation model. The aim was to predict transient bridge behavior, flyer velocity, and detonation initiation threshold. Through comparisons and verifications with measured data from several existing EFI firing tests, the present system model was shown to predict bridge burst and flyer velocity very well. The numerical results indicated two different thresholds of charging voltage for flyer creation out of plastic film and impact detonation of explosive charge to be quite consistent with the measurements. The system behaviors in three different ranges of charging voltage were discussed in terms of discrete nature of this high-voltage explosive charge initiator.

Assessment of the Sympathetic Detonation of Blasting Caps

The neutralization of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) involves the use of disrupting agents propelled explosively. Due to the special nature of such materials, a proper investigation of the parts most susceptible to sympathetic detonation is in order. The initiation of IEDs is caused by detonation products, shock waves, and propelled disruptive agents. In this paper, initiation of IED composition (acceptor charge) due to the neutralization system’s (donor charge’s) explosive charge detonation is evaluated based on the influence of the first two of the three above-mentioned factors. One of the most susceptible components of IEDs to sympathetic initiation is the blasting cap. Based on an experimental and numerical mix approach, blasting cap tendency to sympathetic detonation in open field had been investigated. The suitability of critical energy fluence and Chapman–Jouguet threshold criteria to the sympathetic detonation tendency of blasting caps was investigated. Experimental and numerical/analytical results describing the phenomenon are in agreement.

Background-oriented schlieren technique in experimental research regarding the effect of explosion pressure

In the following paper, experimental results regarding the effect of explosion pressure are obtained from open field experiments with detonation of explosive charges. In addition, sensors that can be used for security applications for the detection of toxic and explosive compounds, as well as mobile systems for the detection of shock waves due to explosions were used to acquire more detailed results. Sensors are the main components in products and systems used to detect chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) targeting applications in several fields, such as: industrial production and the automotive industry (detection of polluting gases from cars, medical applications, indoor air quality control. The sensory characteristics of a robot depend very much on its degree of autonomy, the applications for which it was designed and the type of work environment. The sensors can be divided into two categories: internal status sensors (sensors that provide information about the internal status of the mobile robot); external status sensors (sensors that provide information about the environment in which the robot operates). Another classification of these could be: distance sensors, position sensors, environmental sensors - sensors that provide information about various properties and characteristics of the environment (example: temperature, pressure, color, brightness), inertial sensors.

Testing the constructive strength of a container arranged as a mobile deposit of explosive materials

Today, due to the diversity of the conditions in which the blasting works are executed, they often require a special organization regarding the transportation and storage of the explosive goods near the blasting field. If for explosive storage arranged for long-term use such as those of the producers, there are detailed regulations regarding the constructive and security requirements that they must meet, for the temporary storage facilities, there are not enough details regarding the constructive requirements that they must comply with. One of the most important aspects taken into account when designing and arranging a mobile explosive depot is the limitation to the maximum of the dynamic action and the throw effect of pieces of material under the pression of an accidental detonation. The paper describes the results obtained after testing a container prototype designed for the storage of explosives. Following the tests performed and the evaluation of the dynamic effects of explosions inside and outside the container as well as the analysis of the measurement regarding the pressure generated by the detonation of explosive charges, it turned out that the construction and detonation behavior of the tested container complies with the purpose and safety requirements for setting up a mobile explosive depot.

Influence of accelerator energy parameters and silicon carbide microparticle sizes on the changes in magnetic field induction during their acceleration

This article contains the microparticle accelerator scheme, the methods, and the results of practical study of magnetic field induction and electromagnetic radiation formed during explosion product ionization and energy accumulation during explosive charge detonation, as well as the influence of some process parameters on its change. The purpose of this work is to study the influence of accelerator energy parameters and silicon carbide microparticle sizes on the change in magnetic field induction during their acceleration. The influence of technological parameters on the electrodynamic properties of the ionization process of a complex chemical system, which is condensed EXPLOSIVES, was studied by the developed method based on the Hall effect with the use of the developed semiconductor Hall sensors and a special measuring complex. The average magnetic field induction value is 48 MT. The influence of the energy parameters of the accelerator (explosive charge mass), as well as of the size of microparticles introduced into the explosion products (PV) on the electrodynamic properties of the processes of ionization and acceleration of microparticles was determined by measuring and calculating magnetic field induction. Practical results were obtained and confirmed the particle size influence on the plasma state. With an increase in the particle size from 20 to 100 microns, the induction value increases to 50 MT and decreases sharply with a change in the size from 150 to 300 microns. The obtained dependences are the technological characteristics of the process of processing materials by high-speed flows of microparticles with the use of explosion energy, which can be adjusted to make the process manageable.

Issues of Data Acquisition and Interpretation of Paraseismic Measuring Signals Triggered by the Detonation of Explosive Charges

The paper tackles the issues of data acquisition during the measuring of vibrations caused by the detonation of explosive charges in various types of works (blasting in mines, demolition works, tunneling). Depending on the placement of an explosive charge (a charge detonated on the surface or a charge placed in a hole), it triggers side effects in the form of mechanical vibrations, which are propagated in the environment and may pose a hazard to buildings. In the case of propagation in the air, there is an acoustic wave and an airblast wave. For the assessment analysis on the impact of vibrations on buildings, a ground-propagated signal is used, while what is propagated by air is a disturbance. Selected examples in the paper demonstrate how an acoustic wave and an airblast wave interferes with the signal recorded by geophones. Afterwards, the paper presents the results of the tests conducted at a training area, during which various masses of explosive charges placed in different ways were detonated. The examples demonstrate that this interference may lead to the misinterpretation of recorded measurements. This paper is the first of two papers that will present the results of research into this matter and the suggested resolutions in order to eliminate this interference.

On the Blast Mitigation Ability of Multiple V-Shape Deflectors

This paper presents a 2D numerical study of v-shape deflectors subjected to high explosive charge detonation. The literature provides many papers concerning the appropriate geometry of blast protection deflectors. Such structures require a relatively high distance between the ground and the vehicle chassis. In most cases, the placement of a deflector is not possible or it cannot cover the whole area under a chassis. An interesting question that arises is to what extent a set of small deflectors would be able to mitigate blast effects. The content of this paper constitutes an answer to this question. Three analyses were conducted: (1) multiplication of triangle components, (2) effect of deflector size, and (3) geometry-induced shock dynamics. The problem was solved with the use of modelling and simulation methods, in particular, CFD-FEM implemented in the LS-DYNA code. It was considered a plain issue in computational fluid dynamics, where space discretization for each option was built with two-dimensional elements to ensure efficient calculations. Deflectors were described using a rigid wall boundary condition, and an adequate simplified detonation model was assumed. The primary measure of the results was reaction force history, with momentum transfer and pressure distribution maps considered supplementary. The studies performed showed that both minimizing the v-shape deflector size and surrounding it with adjacent structures had a negative impact on its blast mitigation effectiveness. However, for each multi-v-shape deflector, some improvement was present, and, therefore, in situations where the installation of a typical protector is not possible due to dimensional requirements, it may offer a compromise solution.

Dynamic Impact on a Pipeline Considering Dry Friction on its Surface

An exact analytical solution to the problem of the wave motion of a tubular semi-infinite rod interacting with its surrounding elastic medium according to the Coulomb’s law of dry friction under the action of an exponentially falling dynamic load on its end (modeling of explosive charge detonation) and in the case of a finite mass impact by a rigid body along this end is obtained. The pattern of wave motion depending on the loading parameters is investigated: the leading and trailing edges of the elastic wave are determined, and the distribution of residual strains as it passes along the rod is found. The obtained results can be used in calculating the deformation of oil and gas pipelines in the case of shock loads.

Numerical studies on explosive welding with ANFO by using a density adaptive SPH method

Explosive welding (EXW) involves processes like the detonation of explosive charge, impact of metal structures and strong fluid-structure interaction with complex features. The EXW has not been well modeled before since in most numerical simulations the EXW is simply treated as the impact of two plates at high velocities. Recently, the authors developed a density adaptive smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method to successfully model the whole EXW process considering the high explosive explosion and its driving effects on flyer plate [ 1 ]. Later, this model is applied to investigate the mechanisms in EXW such as the wave formation mechanism and weldability windows [ 2 ]. The explosive TNT used in the previous model can be regarded as an ideal explosive while the complex and non-ideal explosive ANFO is more frequently used in practical welding operations. In this paper, the JWL++ model is incorporated into the density adaptive SPH to simulate the detonation of ANFO. The slab detonation and the explosive welding with TNT or ANFO explosive are simulated using the developed models. Good agreement can be observed between computational results and analytical solutions or experimental observations. Some typical characteristics in TNT and ANFO EXW including the detonation of explosive, wavy interface, jet formation, weldability windows are comparatively studied.

Investigation of explosive welding through whole process modeling using a density adaptive SPH method

Explosive welding (EXW) involves processes like the detonation of explosive charge, impact of metal structures and strong fluid-structure interaction with complex features such as interfacial waves and jet generation. The whole EXW process has not been well modeled before due to the large deformation and moving interfaces while the associated mechanisms inherent in EXW are also not well understood. In this paper, the whole EXW process is simulated using a density adaptive smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) model, in which a density adaptive algorithm is used to treat variable large density ratio in EXW and the kernel gradient correction (KGC) is used to improve computational accuracy of SPH. The mechanisms in EXW are investigated, and typical phenomena including the wavy interface, jet formation, interfacial temperature and pressure distribution as well as melting voids are examined. The mechanisms of wave formation are studied while two existing mechanisms, namely, the Jet Indentation Mechanism and the Vortex Shedding Mechanism are revealed with the present SPH simulations. It is demonstrated that with proper amount of explosive charge and initial welding angle, the present SPH method can well reproduce the morphology evolution of the welding interface from straight to wavy and further to wavy with vortex shedding. Furthermore, based on comprehensive numerical data from SPH simulations, two types of numerical weldability windows for EXW are presented together with discussions about different welding limits and effective explosive charge.

Effect of Shell Material on the Detonation of an Explosive Charge

The effect of shell material (copper and silicon carbide) on the detonation of a cylindrical explosive charge was analyzed. The wave patterns in the detonation products and the shells are substantially different, which is due to different sound velocities and the rapid destruction of the ceramic under explosive loading. The wave pattern at the explosive/ceramic interface was found to be affected by desensitization of the explosive due to its loading by an advancing wave from the shell side, resulting in a decrease in pressure, blurring of the detonation front, and an increase in particle velocity. Throughout the process, there is a continuous increase in the time of explosive decomposition near the interface between the explosive and the ceramic shell. An extended region with a constant pressure close to the Chapman–Jouguet pressure was observed on the axis of symmetry behind the detonation front of the explosive charge in the ceramic shell.

INVESTIGATIONS AND CLASSIFICATION OF WINDOW ELEVATIONS AND FACADES RESISTANCE TO BLASTING FORCE

Striving for better protection of people against the effects of bomb explosions in the world of ever-increasing terrorist threats some tendencies have appeared to normalize the resistance of window elevations and facades as well as an individual door and window against detonation of explosive charges. Such standards were developed in the United States and in the European Union, and were also introduced in Poland. These are Polish standards PN – EN 13541 „Glass in Building Industry – Security Glazing – Testing and Classification of Resistance against Explosion Pressure”, PN – EN 13123-2 „Windows, Doors and Shutters – Blast Resistance – Conditions and Classification – Part 2: Range Test” and PN – EN 13124-2 „Windows, Doors and Shutters – Blast Resistance – Testing Method – Part 2 Range Test” with Annexes A and B and also US GSA – TS01 – 2003 standard „Standard Test Method for Glazing and Window Systems Subject to Dynamic Overpressure Loadings”. US standards envisage using much larger explosive charges than EU standards but from a greater distance. In the paper the strength tests of window elevations and facades conducted at the Military Institute of Armaments in Zielonka are discussed.

Analysis of the Explosive Internal Impact on the Barriers of Building Structures

Work issues concern the safety of construction in relation to the hazards arising from explosion of the explosive charge located inside the building. The algorithms proposed in the paper for determining the parameters of the overpressure wave resulting from the detonation of clustered explosive charges, determine the basis for numerical simulation analyzes. Determination of the maximum value of peak pressure on the wave forehead of an internal explosion is presented on the basis of reflected wave analysis. Changeability in time of the internal explosion action describes the overpressure phase only. The analysis of the load caused by the internal explosive charge detonation was carried out under conditions of the undisturbed standard atmosphere. A load determination algorithm has been developed, taking into account the geometrical characteristics of the building barriers and the rooms as well as the parameters of environment in which the detonation occurs. The way of taking into account the influence of venting surfaces, i.e. windows, doors, ventilation ducts, on the overpressure wave parameters, was presented. Discloses a method to take into account the effect of the surface relief, i.e. windows, doors, air ducts, pressure wave parameters. Modification of the method for explosive overpressure determination presented by Cormie, Smith, Mays (2009), was proposed in the paper. This modification was developed on the basis of substitute impulse analysis for multiple overpressure pulses. In order to take into account the pressure distribution of explosive gases on the barrier surface, the method of modification the relationship for determination the changeability over time and space of the pressure of explosive gases, was presented. For this purpose, the changeability of the pressure wave angles of incidence to the barrier and the distance of the explosive charge to any point on the surface of the barrier, was taken into account. Based on the developed procedure, the overpressure changeability over time was determined for selected measurement points of the reference room. A comparative analysis of the determined loadings with experimental results and theoretical results of other authors, taken from the original work of Weerhiejm et al. (2012), was carried out.

Measurement of the spatial specific impulse distribution due to buried high explosive charge detonation

Abstract Buried high explosive (HE) charges represent a high threat to military vehicles. The detonation of these charges can lead to significant momentum transfer onto vehicles and their occupants. A detailed understanding of the physical processes involved in the loading of vehicle structures is necessary for an optimization of effective countermeasures and protection systems. A quantitative description of the local momentum distribution on the vehicle underbody due to the detonation process is of special importance. In the following, a new test setup is presented that allows the experimental determination of the specific impulse distribution. It is based on a ring arrangement where the elements are nested into each other and the velocity of each ring is correlated with the local specific impulse at its position. The momentum transfer to a vehicle depends on a number of influencing factors such as: charge mass, embedding material (e.g. sand, gravel, clay), density, water content, saturation, depth of burial, ground clearance and vehicle shape. The presented technology is applied to quantify the influence of the embedding material (alluvial sand, quartz sand), the burial depth and the water content on the local specific impulse distribution. The obtained data can be used as initial condition for the numerical simulation of occupant safety assessment and as input for empirical modeling of momentum transfer on structures.

Numerical analysis of energy transmission through discontinuities and fillings in Kangir Dam

A considerable amount of energy is released in the form of shock wave from explosive charge detonation. Shock wave energy is responsible for the creation of crushing and fracture zone around the blast hole. The rest of the shock wave energy is transferred to rock mass as ground vibration. Ground vibration is conveyed to the adjacent structures by body and surface waves. Geological structures like faults, fractures, and fillings play important roles in the wave attenuation. Studying the mechanism of ground wave propagation from blasts gives a better understanding about the stress wave transmission and its effect on the near structures. In this research work, the stress wave transmissions from discontinuities and fillings were evaluated using a field measurement and a Universal Distinct Element Code (UDEC). A single-hole blast was conducted in the Kangir dam, and the resulting vibrations were measured in many points before and after the faults. Numerical simulation shows the effects of geo-mechanical properties of fillings on the reflection and refraction rate of the stress wave. There are more energy reflections in the rock boundaries and soil fillings, and more energy is absorbed by soil fillings compared with rock fillings. Furthermore, there is a close correlation between the ground vibration records for the Kangir dam and the numerical results. The maximum relative error between the actual records and the simulated ones was found to be 18.5%, which shows the UDEC ability for the prediction of blast vibrations.

Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase-l1 as a serum neurotrauma biomarker for exposure to occupational low-level blast.

Repeated exposure to low-level blast is a characteristic of a few select occupations and there is concern that such occupational exposures present risk for traumatic brain injury. These occupations include specialized military and law enforcement units that employ controlled detonation of explosive charges for the purpose of tactical entry into secured structures. The concern for negative effects from blast exposure is based on rates of operator self-reported headache, sleep disturbance, working memory impairment, and other concussion-like symptoms. A challenge in research on this topic has been the need for improved assessment tools to empirically evaluate the risk associated with repeated exposure to blast overpressure levels commonly considered to be too low in magnitude to cause acute injury. Evaluation of serum-based neurotrauma biomarkers provides an objective measure that is logistically feasible for use in field training environments. Among candidate biomarkers, ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) has some empirical support and was evaluated in this study. We used daily blood draws to examine acute change in UCH-L1 among 108 healthy military personnel who were exposed to repeated low-level blast across a 2-week period. These research volunteers also wore pressure sensors to record blast exposures, wrist actigraphs to monitor sleep patterns, and completed daily behavioral assessments of symptomology, postural stability, and neurocognitive function. UCH-L1 levels were elevated as a function of participating in the 2-week training with explosives, but the correlation of UCH-L1 elevation and blast magnitude was weak and inconsistent. Also, UCH-L1 elevations did not correlate with deficits in behavioral measures. These results provide some support for including UCH-L1 as a measure of central nervous system effects from exposure to low-level blast. However, the weak relation observed suggests that additional indicators of blast effect are needed.

Dimensional analysis of impulse loading resulting from detonation of shallow-buried charges

Purpose – Development of military vehicles capable of surviving shallow-buried explosive blast is seldom done using full-scale prototype testing because of the associated prohibitively high cost, the destructive nature of testing, and the requirements for large-scale experimental-test facilities and a large crew of engineers committed to the task. Instead, tests of small-scale models are generally employed and the model-based results are scaled up to the full-size vehicle. In these scale-up efforts, various dimensional analyses are used whose establishment and validation requires major experimental testing efforts and different-scale models. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – In the present work, a critical assessment is carried out of some of the most important past efforts aimed at developing the basic dimensional analysis formulation for the problem of impulse loading experienced by target structures (e.g. vehicle hull) due to detonation of explosive charges buried to different depths in sand/soil (of different consistency, porosity, and saturation levels). Findings – It was found that the analysis can be substantially simplified if only the physical parameters associated with first-order effects are retained and if some of the sand/soil parameters are replaced with their counterparts which better reflect the role of soil (via the effects of soil compaction in the region surrounding the explosive and via the effects of sand-overburden stretching and acceleration before the associated sand bubble bursts and venting of the gaseous detonation products takes place). Once the dimensional analysis is reformulated, a variety of experimental results pertaining to the total blast impulse under different soil conditions, charge configurations, charge deployment strategies, and vehicle ground clearances are used to establish the underlying functional relations. Originality/value – The present work clearly established that due to the non-dimensional nature of the quantities formulated, the established relations can be utilized across different length scales, i.e. although they are obtained using mainly the small-scale model results, they can be applied at the full vehicle length scale.

Detonating Cord for Flux Compression Generation using Electrical Detonator No. 33

The paper highlights the use of electrical detonators for magnetic flux compression generator applications which requires synchronisation of two events with precise time delay of tens of ms and jitter within a few ms. These requirements are generally achieved by exploding bridge wire type detonators which are difficult to develop and are not commercially available. A technique has been developed using commercially available electrical detonator no. 33 to synchronise between peak of seed current in stator coil and detonation of explosive charge in armature. In present experiments, electrical signal generated by self-shorting pin due to bursting of electrical detonator has been used to trigger the capacitor discharge and the detonating cord of known length has been used to incorporate predetermined delay to synchronise the events. It has been demonstrated that using electrical detonator and known length of detonating cord, the two events can be synchronised with predetermined delay between 31 and 251 ms with variation of ± 0.5ms. The technique developed is suitable for defence applications like generation of high power microwaves using explosive driven magnetic flux compression generators. Defence Science Journal, 2011, 61(1), pp.19-24 , DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.61.30