Numerical simulation of the blast impact problem using the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method

A particle approach using the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is used to solve the problem of blast impact with structures. A novel approach to model the solid boundary condition for particle methods is presented. The solver is validated against an analytical solution of the Riemann shocktube problem and against experiments on interaction of a planar shock with a square cavity. Blast impact simulations are performed for two model shapes, a box and an I-shaped beam, assuming that the solid body does not deform. The solver uses domain decomposition technique to run in parallel. The parallel performance of the solver on two Beowulf clusters is also presented. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.