Extended Desert Calculation Results with Comparisons to PRISCILLA Experimental Data and a Near-Ideal Calculation
Abstract
An extended calculation of the non-ideal airblast environment resulting from the PRISCILLA nuclear detonation has been completed. This calculation used the most recent, accepted interpretation of the experimentally determined thermal layer model. The calculation included the effects of turbulence, surface roughness, and dust sweep-up in determining the near-surface blast environment. Full hydrodynamic definition of the precursor environment is now available from ground zero to a distance of over two kilometers. Information includes full spatial definition at selected times (about 25) and full-time, resolved waveforms at over 1,000 locations. The results of the calculation are compared with experimental data and show good to excellent agreement in all measured parameters. An accompanying calculation without a thermal layer was also extended to over a two-kilometer range. This calculation served as the "ideal" case. The "ideal" calculation included the effects of surface roughness and turbulence but not an interaction with a thermal layer or dust sweep-up. Results of this calculation are used to quantify the differences specifically caused by thermal and dust interactions. The excellent agreement between experiment and calculation demonstrates the degree of understanding of the physics involved in blast propagation over real surfaces. This understanding of the free-field environment is the necessary first step to predicting loads and response of vehicles or other targets subjected to such an environment. (AN)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA298300
Entities
People
- Charles E. Needham
- Lynn W. Kennedy
- Robert G. Ekler