There are several accepted technical approaches for calculating airblast loads on structures, with varying levels of technical complexity and fidelity. The most basic approaches calculate pressure and impulse loads as a function of charge weight and distance, whilst semi-empirical methods, such as the Kingery-Bulmash equations include some additional parameters to the loading equations related to the orientation of the target relative to the propagating shock front.

The employment of physics-based approaches, such as computational fluid dynamics, provide methods to fully account for the key phenomena associated with explosive events. This has clear benefits over empirical, semi-empirical and closed-form solutions, in that each calculation can account for the unique geometric conditions present within the analysis domain, and consequently achieve far more representative and potentially accurate results. And given the now low cost of accessing computing hardware, these methods can be practically and economically applied to find significant design efficiencies – lowering project costs whilst improving safety.

This webinar described several different approaches to modelling detonation within explosive materials which transition from unreacted energetics to detonation products

About the Presenter

Tim Brewer, Synthetik Applied Technologies LLC

Tim Brewer is COO at Synthetik Applied Technologies LLC with over 18 years’ experience providing support to the U.S. government in research and development efforts related to combustion, detonation, extreme loading, and explosive effects. He has also generated a variety of software tools for design and analysis related to airblast and shock.

He is familiar with the various commercial and government documents and software relevant to explosive effects and has developed and is experienced with many of the engineering tools and numerical approaches for determining response subject to extreme loads. Tim is also accredited by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as an Assessor for the BPATS (Best Practices for Anti-Terrorism Security) scheme.

About this event

This event is being hosted by the NAFEMS Impact, Shock and Crash Working Group (ISCWG). For more information and to get involved go to the Impact, Shock and Crash Working Group webpage.