Modeling the Blast Load Simulator Airblast Environment using First Principles Codes. Report 1, Blast Load Simulator Environment
Abstract
The Blast Load Simulator (BLS) at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) has been utilized for applying simulated blast loads on structures for more than a decade; however, the experimental efforts to date have not included a computational modeling component. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency tasked ERDC to conduct an integrated experimental/computational program to evaluate several first principles codes (FPCs) for modeling airblast environments typical of those encountered in the BLS. The FPCs considered were CTH, DYSMAS, Loci/BLAST, RAGE, and SHAMRC. These codes afforded a range of numerical solvers and equation of state options for the modeling effort. The FPCs were evaluated against data generated in the BLS. Three experimental configurations were considered for the validation. These included two empty configurations, with comparisons drawn against reflected pressures measured at the downstream end wall. The third included a box-like structure in the flow field. The structure was instrumented on the exposed surfaces to provide a more challenging scenario for the model comparisons. The purpose of the integrated program was to assess computational accuracy and cost of the aforementioned FPCs and identify any shortcomings in the physics modeling and areas for future improvement. Findings from the integrated program are discussed in this report.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2016
- Accession Number
- AD1023425
Entities
People
- Alyson A. Armstrong
- Clayton Mord
- Gregory C. Bessette
- Gustavo Emmanuelli
- James L. O'daniel
- Richard A. Weed
- Stephen A. Akers