Title
A new standard for predicting lung injury inflicted by Friedlander blast waves
Author
van der Voort, M.M.
Holm, K.B.
Kummer, P.O.
Teland, J.A.
van Doormaal, J.C.A.M.
Dijkers, H.P.A.
Publication year
2016
Abstract
An important blast injury mechanism is the rupture of the lungs and the gastrointestinal tract. In explosives safety studies and threat analysis the empirical model of Bowen is often used to quantify this mechanism. The original model predicts the lethality for a person in front of a reflecting surface caused by simple Friedlander blast waves. Bowen extended the applicability to persons in prone position and standing in the free field by making assumptions about the pressure dose at these positions. Based on new experimental data, some authors recently concluded that the lethality for a person standing in the free field is the same as for a person in front of a reflecting surface, contrary to Bowen's assumptions.In this article, we show that only for a short duration blast wave, the load on a person standing in the free field is comparable to that on a person in front of a reflecting surface. For long positive phase durations, a safe and conservative assumption is that the load on a person standing in the free field is the sum of the side-on overpressure and the dynamic pressure. This hypothesis is supported by common knowledge about blast waves and is illustrated with numerical blast simulations.In a step by step derivation we present a new standard for the prediction of lethality caused by Friedlander blast waves, which will be included in the NATO Explosives Safety Manual AASTP-4. The result is a comprehensive engineering model that can be easily applied in calculations. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd.
Subject
Observation, Weapon & Protection Systems
EBP - Explosions, Ballistics & Protection
TS - Technical Sciences
Blast
Explosion
Injury
Lethality
Lung
Risk
Biological organs
Blasting
Explosions
Risks
Safety engineering
Dynamic pressures
Engineering modeling
Explosives safety
Gastrointestinal tract
Injury
Lethality
Lung
Reflecting surface
Explosives
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a9b62216-77b5-444c-a5ce-b36dd7356bce
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlp.2016.01.014
TNO identifier
533060
Publisher
Elsevier Ltd
ISSN
0950-4230
Source
Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries, 40, 396-405
Document type
article