Blast Load Simulator Experiments for Computational Model Validation: Report 1

Abstract

The Department of Defense needs the capability to accurately predict airblast environments produced by explosive detonations and their interactions with objects that create a complex geometry, such as buildings, bridges, dams, and others. First-principle computer codes are typically used to generate high-fidelity simulations of these explosive events and their effects. These codes continue to improve but still require validation against experimental data to establish confidence in the results produced by the simulations. The objective of this effort was to conduct replicate experiments in the Blast Load Simulator (BLS) to evaluate its suitability for a future effort involving the inclusion of non-responding box-type structures in a BLS simulated blast environment. The BLS is a highly tunable compressed-gas-driven, closed-end shock tube designed to simulate blast waveforms for explosive yields up to 20,000-lb of TNT equivalent at a peak reflected pressure up to 80 psi and a peak reflected impulse up to 1,100 psi-msec. Data collected include incident overpressure at a particular location within the BLS and reflected pressures on a steel plate located at the end of the BLS. The uncer-tainty in the experimental pressures and impulses was evaluated for the replicate experiments, and 95 confidence intervals on the results were computed.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 2016
Accession Number
AD1014523

Entities

People

  • Carol F. Johnson
  • Cecil C. Dorrell
  • Frank D. Dallriva
  • James L. O'daniel

Organizations

  • Engineer Research and Development Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Blast
  • Blast Loads
  • Department Of Defense
  • Ecology
  • Environment
  • Experimental Data
  • Explosions
  • Explosives
  • Intervals
  • Overpressure
  • Pressure Gages
  • Pressure Measurement
  • Shock Tubes
  • Simulations
  • Simulators
  • Tubes
  • Validation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
  • Explosive Engineering.