Blast Waves

As an editor of the international scienti?c journal Shock Waves, I was asked whether I might document some of my experience and knowledge in the ?eld of blast waves. I began an outline for a book on the basis of a short course that I had been teaching for several years. I added to the outline, ?lling in details and including recent devel- ments, especially in the subjects of height of burst curves and nonideal explosives. At a recent meeting of the International Symposium on the Interaction of Shock Waves, I was asked to write the book I had said I was working on. As a senior advisor to a group working on computational ?uid dynamics, I found that I was repeating many useful rules and conservation laws as new people came into the group. The transfer of knowledge was hit and miss as questions arose during the normal work day. Although I had developed a short course on blast waves, it was not practical to teach the full course every time a new member was added to the group. This was suf?cient incentive for me to undertake the writing of this book. I cut my work schedule to part time for two years while writing the book. This allowed me to remain heavily involved in ongoing and leading edge work in hydrodynamics while documenting this somewhat historical perspective on blast waves.

b="" The book provides a concise description of the physical processes and mathematical models for explosions and formation of blast waves from explosions. The contents focus on quantitatively determining the energy released in the different types of explosions and the destructive blast waves that are generated. The contribution of flames, detonations and other physical processes to the explosion phenomenon is dealt with in detail. Gaseous and condensed phase explosions are discussed and the yield of explosions with their TNT equivalence is determined. Time scales involved in the explosion process and the scaling procedure are ascertained. Explosions over the ground, in water, and the interaction of explosions with objects are examined. In order to keep the text easily readable, the detailed derivation of the mathematical equations is given in the seven appendices at the end of the book. Case studies of various explosions are investigated and simple problems and their solutions are provided for the different topics to assist the reader in internalizing the explosion process. The book is a useful reference for professionals and academics in aeronautics, mechanical, civil and chemical engineering and for personnel working in explosive manufacture and high-energy materials, armaments, space, defense, and industrial and fire safety.

This book compiles a variety of experimental data on blast waves. The book begins with an introductory chapter and proceeds to the topic of blast wave phenomenology, with a discussion on Rankine-Hugoniot equations and the Friedlander equation, used to describe the pressure-time history of a blast wave. Additional topics include arrival time measurement, the initiation of detonation by exploding wires, a discussion of TNT equivalency, and small scale experiments. Gaseous and high explosive detonations are covered as well. The topics and experiments covered were chosen based on the comparison of used scale sizes, from small to large. Each characteristic parameter of blast waves is analyzed and expressed versus scaled distance in terms of energy and mass. Finally, the appendix compiles a number of polynomial laws that will prove indispensable for engineers and researchers.

This book examines blast waves—their methods of generation, their propagation in several dimensions through the real atmosphere and layered gases, and their interactions with simple structures—thereby providing a broad overview of the field. The intended audience has a basic knowledge of algebra and a good grasp of the concepts of conservation of mass and energy. The text includes an introduction to blast wave terminology and conservation laws, and there is a discussion of units and the importance of consistency. This new edition of Blast Waves has been thoroughly updated and includes two new chapters that cover numerical hydrodynamics and blast injury. Authored by an expert with over forty years of experience in the field of blast and shock, this book offers many lessons as well as a historical perspective on developments in the field.

In this report the general phenomena connected with a blast wave in air will be discussed. The particular features of the blast wave produced by a nuclear explosion will be emphasized, but many of the developments in this volume will apply generally to blast waves produced by any type of explosion. In this introductory chapter we shall try to give a general idea of the various phenomena occurring in a blast wave in air, of their interrelation and their time sequence. In the following chapters the details of the theory will be given, including curves showing the pressure distribution as a function of time and position. We have not Included any detailed discussion of the effects of an atomic bomb other than the blast effect. Cnly a short discussion of other effects is given in Chapter 3. For further discussion, especially on flash burn and radioactivity, reports on the experience in Japan should be consulted.

Explosions, and the non-steady shock propagation associated with them, continue to interest researchers working in different fields of physics and engineering (such as astrophysics and fusion). Based on the author's course in shock dynamics, this book describes the various analytical methods developed to determine non-steady shock propagation. These methods offer a simple alternative to the direct numerical integration of the Euler equations and offer a better insight into the physics of the problem. Professor Lee presents the subject systematically and in a style that is accessible to graduate students and researchers working in shock dynamics, combustion, high-speed aerodynamics, propulsion and related topics.

Understanding the causes and effects of explosions is important to experts in a broad range of disciplines, including the military, industrial and environmental research, aeronautic engineering, and applied mathematics. Offering an introductory review of historic research, Shock Waves and Explosions brings analytic and computational methods

This unique and encyclopedic reference work describes the evolution of the physics of modern shock wave and detonation from the earlier and classical percussion. The history of this complex process is first reviewed in a general survey. Subsequently, the subject is treated in more detail and the book is richly illustrated in the form of a picture gallery. This book is ideal for everyone professionally interested in shock wave phenomena.

This reference is a comprehensive work in the field of neurotrauma and critical care. It incorporates the fields of head injury, spinal injury and basic neurotrauma research into one source. The major emphasis is on the treatment of patients with head and spinal cord injury, including the management of all other problems that bear upon the care of these patients.

The Handbook of Shock Waves contains a comprehensive, structured coverage of research topics related to shock wave phenomena including shock waves in gases, liquids, solids, and space. Shock waves represent an extremely important physical phenomena which appears to be of special practical importance in three major fields: compressible flow (aerodynamics), materials science, and astrophysics. Shock waves comprise a phenomenon that occurs when pressure builds to force a reaction, i.e. sonic boom that occurs when a jet breaks the speed of sound.This Handbook contains experimental, theoretical, and numerical results which never before appeared under one cover; the first handbook of its kind.The Handbook of Shock Waves is intended for researchers and engineers active in shock wave related fields. Additionally, R&D establishments, applied science & research laboratories and scientific and engineering libraries both in universities and government institutions. As well as, undergraduate and graduate students in fluid mechanics, gas dynamics, and physics. Key Features* Ben-Dor is known as one of the founders of the field of shock waves* Covers a broad spectrum of shock wave research topics* Provides a comprehensive description of various shock wave related subjects* First handbook ever to include under one separate cover: experimental, theoretical, and numerical results