Abstract

In our modern society, many explosive materials are used for different purposes. Blasts produced by explosive materials are encountered in building demolition, rock excavation, mining, and military contexts. Regardless of the source or intended use of an explosive, human exposure to the aftermath of an explosion can be very destructive. Therefore, studying and understanding blast wave structure, physical appearance, protection against such waves, and the behavior of materials under blast loads, are vital.
Blast experiments are usually expensive, dangerous, and need a large space to set up. The purpose of this project is to develop a small-scale and affordable apparatus that can reproduce varying blast profiles, in a controllable fashion. In this study, a blast tube with four driver sections is employed. Two dynamic pressure transducers (PCB) and an oscilloscope are used to record blast profiles. To produce different blast waves, thirteen sets of pressures in the driver sections were considered. The main parameters of the blast waves (Ps, td, b, and I+) in each set were determined. Under certain initial conditions, the resulting blast wave has two distinct expansion rates or an internal shock. The conditions under which the produced blasts most resemble free-field blasts are examined.

Keywords: Blast waves, Fitting blast waves, Peak overpressure, Positive time duration, Positive impulse