Effects of Explosions on Structures

Acquisition of practical knowledge in the field of explosion-indueed structural damage is still heavily dependent upon empirical data. Such data, however, usually give information only about those overpressure levels which relate to certain degrees of damage. Other parameters, such as duration, impulse, and shape of the blast wave are not taken into aecount. Tables containing such information are frequently published. The best known are contained in Glasstone (1966, 1977), a frequently cited reference. 

The earliest tables were compiled from data collected from nuclear weapon tests, in which very high yield devices produced sharp-peaked shock waves with long durations for the positive phase. However, these data are used for other types of blast waves as well. Caution should be exercised in application of these simple criteria to buildings or structures, especially for vapor cloud explosions, which can produce blast waves with totally different shapes. Application of criteria from nuclear tests can, in many cases, result in overestimation of structural damage. 

2 Occasionai breaking of large window panes already under strain 

3 Loud noise sonic boom glass failure 

2 Safe distance, probability of 0.95 of no serious damage beyond 

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F. WaUey, The effect of explosions on structures , Proc. Inst. Civ. Engrs. Struct. Bldgs., 104 (1994) 325-334. 

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