Target Response to Explosive Blast
Abstract
The work covered by this report extended the knowledge of blast interactions with two types of targets and achieved a fuller understanding of the requirements for protecting personnel exposed to stored explosives. The specific targets were a 1/4 inch plate glass window and a bus. Plate glass windows were exposed to blast pressures of 0.65 and 1.09 psi peak incident pressure from a surface burst charge. Bus vehicles were exposed, side on to the blast wave, to provide maximum opportunity for overturning at blast pressures of 7, 8, and 9 psi peak incident pressure. It was shown that plate glass fragments as large as 1500 grams (3.3 lbs.) are produced under threshold breakage conditions and that approximately 40 percent of the window may break into fragments, each weighing a pound or more. The only velocity vector of importance, under these conditions, is the one provided by the force of gravity. Bus vehicles were shown to be more resistant to overturning by blast than a simple model had indicated. It was concluded that window areas do not effectively transmit blast energy to the bus for overturning and that the suspension system acted to inhibit overturning in these tests.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0715475
Entities
People
- George H. Custard
- John R. Thayer