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Experimental investigation of blast mitigation and particle–blast interaction during the explosive dispersal of particles and liquids

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Abstract

The attenuation of a blast wave from a high-explosive charge surrounded by a layer of inert material is investigated experimentally in a spherical geometry for a wide range of materials. The blast wave pressure is inferred from extracting the blast wave velocity with high-speed video as well as direct measurements with pressure transducers. The mitigant consists of either a packed bed of particles, a particle bed saturated with water, or a homogeneous liquid. The reduction in peak blast wave overpressure is primarily dependent on the mitigant to explosive mass ratio, M/C, with the mitigant material properties playing a secondary role. Relative peak pressure mitigation reduces with distance and for low values of M/C (< 10) can return to unmitigated pressure levels in the mid-to-far field. Solid particles are more effective at mitigating the blast overpressure than liquids, particularly in the near field and at low values of M/C, suggesting that the energy dissipation during compaction, deformation, and fracture of the powders plays an important role. The difference in scaled arrival time of the blast and material fronts increases with M/C and scaled distance, with solid particles giving the largest separation between the blast wave and cloud of particles. Surrounding a high-explosive charge with a layer of particles reduces the positive-phase blast impulse, whereas a liquid layer has no influence on the impulse in the far field. Taking the total impulse due to the blast wave and material impact into account implies that the damage to a nearby structure may actually be augmented for a range of distances. These results should be taken into consideration in the design of explosive mitigant systems.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Rick Guilbeault at the Canadian Explosive Research Laboratory for assistance with the experiments and A. Longbottom of Fluid Gravity Engineering for discussions and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency for financial support. The authors also acknowledge the assistance of Yann Grégoire for the processing of the images in Fig. 25. The authors would also like to thank the three anonymous reviewers for their many constructive comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McGill University, Macdonald Engineering Building, 817 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC, H3A 0C3, Canada

    Q. Pontalier, S. Goroshin & D. L. Frost

  2. Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Department, Royal Military College, 17 General Crerar Crescent, Kingston, ON, K7K 7B4, Canada

    J. Loiseau

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  1. Q. Pontalier
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Pontalier, Q., Loiseau, J., Goroshin, S. et al. Experimental investigation of blast mitigation and particle–blast interaction during the explosive dispersal of particles and liquids. Shock Waves 28, 489–511 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00193-018-0821-5

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