Explosion Phenomena and Effects of Explosions on Structures. I: Phenomena and Effects

This is Part I of a three-part paper on the phenomena of explosions and effects of explosions on structures. The overall paper is intended to provide the reader with a practical overview of the various types of explosions and methods available to predict explosion effects with emphasis on air blast. The response of structures to air blast is discussed and methods of analysis are presented. Since the subject area is broad, reference sources for more in-depth information on many of the topics presented are provided. In this paper, Part I, the background is provided on explosion phenomena and the types of effects produced by explosions of various general types. Physical, chemical, electrical, and nuclear explosions are discussed. Explosion effects for external (outdoor) explosions presented include air blast characteristics of peak overpressure, positive phase impulse, time of arrival, and positive phase duration. The ranges of peak overpressure and event duration from different types of explosions are compared. Other effects discussed include thermal effects, projectiles, ground shock, and cratering.