Matvent - A Simple Model for Blast Venting from a Responding Champer.
Abstract
A simple PC-based model MATVENT for the calculation of venting from a responding chamber is described. The venting source is assumed to be blast fluidized material in the chamber. Approximate treatments of mechanical and/or thermal response of the chamber walls and materials to the internal blast are incorporated into a quasi-steady treatment of fluid mechanics in the chamber. The model is coded in the MATLAB language (a registered trademark of the MathWorks, Inc., Natick, MA) and allows rapid tradeoff studies for experiment design. Parametric calculations with MATVENT produce time histories of the fluid mechanical variables of interest in the chamber as well as histories of the mass flow rate, vented mass and, where needed, the relative volume change of the chamber and/or relative heat loss to the chamber walls. Two important quantities, namely, venting durations and total vented masses also can be obtained. A recent experiment is modeled in a set of parametric calculations with MATVENT and the results are presented. The results indicate that in small scale experiments with low blast yields, the selection of the chamber material and the thermal characteristics of the chamber wall surfaces can significantly affect the amount of vented mass. The results also show that the venting durations and vented masses are not yield scaleable if responding chambers are employed in experiments. The model is capable of extension to simulate venting from multiple interconnected chambers in one of which an explosion might be set off, and of accommodating more sophisticated response models.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA307804
Entities
People
- Dev S. Srinivasa