Blast analysis in the urban

environment

Nicolas K Misselbrook
Associate Principal & Office Director
Thornton Tomasetti Defence Ltd

Institute of Structural Engineers

27 September 2017
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Thornton Tomasetti Defence Ltd
Weidlinger Protective Design
1. Vulnerability and Feasibility
Assessments

2. Blast and Structural Analysis

and Design

3. Anti- Ram and Perimeter

Protection

4. Progressive Collapse
Prevention

5. Faade Hardening

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Blast analysis in the urban
environment

Nicolas K Misselbrook
Associate Principal & Office Director
Thornton Tomasetti Defence Ltd

Institute of Structural Engineers

27 September 2017
Blast analysis in the urban environment
Contents

Objectives
What does an explosion look like?
What causes blast loads?
Blast shock wave load-time history
How do we calculate blast loads?
What are the pros and cons?
How do we calculate structural response to blast?
Calculation of blast in the urban environment
Validation and verification
Summary
Objectives

Understand what an explosion looks like

Identify different types of blast analysis methods/tools and the limitations associated with each.
Understand the assumptions required to utilize simplified blast analysis tools
Appreciate the complexity of high fidelity blast analysis tools
Judge when different blast analysis tools are more or less applicable for a given situation.
What does blast in the urban environment look like?
Manchester, 1996

Courtesy Greater Manchester Police

What does blast in the urban environment look like?
Manchester, 1996

Courtesy Greater Manchester Police

What does a blast shock wave look like?
Arena Blast Test
What does a blast shock wave look like?
Arena Blast Test
What causes blast loads?

Detonation due to rapid combustion of an Blast Shockwave

explosive material
Instantaneous Rise to Peak Pressure
Potential effects on building structure:
Exponential Decay
Primary: Shock pressure loads
Characteristics:
Other: Gas pressure loads, Fragmentation, Peak Pressure (P), Duration (td), Impulse (I)
Thermal radiation
Variables that effect intensity of blast loading
Explosive Material: type, weight and shape
Medium through which blast shockwave
travels
Loaded Surface: location, orientation and
geometry
Blast shockwave load-time history

td

td
Blast shockwave load-time history
Simplified

POSITIVE IMPULSE, iS

td td
The shock wave changes as it expands

Pso1
1

1
tA1 td1

2
Pso2
2

tA2 td2

Pso3

tA3 td3
3
The shock wave changes as it expands

3
Loads on structure are reflected

Reflected Pressure versus Angle of Incidence Pressure is magnified where

it is reflected off the
structure

Pr
a

Pso

td
Reflections add up

At interior spaces or re-entrant Shockwaves combine, resulting

corners, shockwaves can undergo in a longer effective wavelength
multiple reflections off surrounding with increased impulse
surfaces

2 1
Pr1 1

Pr2 2
Pr3 3
3
td
Reflections add up

At interior spaces or re-entrant Shockwaves combine, resulting

corners, shockwaves can undergo in a longer effective wavelength
multiple reflections off surrounding with increased impulse
surfaces
Reflections add up

At interior spaces or re-entrant Shockwaves combine, resulting

corners, shockwaves can undergo in a longer effective wavelength
multiple reflections off surrounding with increased impulse
surfaces
Calculating blast loads

Empirical Equations
Pressure / wavelength / impulse curves based on test data and theory
Line-of-sight
Calculating blast loads
Empirical tools

Scaled curves in UFC 3-340-01 & 02

Scaled Distance:
Z = R/W0.33
Incorporated into software -
CONWEP
Easily packaged into many SDOF
analysis tools
Calculating blast loads
Empirical tools

Scaled curves in UFC 3-340-01 & 02

Scaled Distance:
Z = R/W0.33
Incorporated into software -
CONWEP
Easily packaged into many SDOF
analysis tools
Calculating blast loads
Empirical tools

Scaled curves in UFC 3-340-01 & 02

Scaled Distance:
Z = R/W0.33
Incorporated into software -
CONWEP
Easily packaged into many SDOF
analysis tools
Calculating blast loads
Empirical tools

Scaled curves in UFC 3-340-01 & 02

Scaled Distance:
Z = R/W0.33
Incorporated into software -
CONWEP
Easily packaged into many SDOF
analysis tools
Calculating blast loads
CONWEP example
Calculating blast loads

Empirical Equations
Pressure / wavelength / impulse curves based on test data and theory
Line-of-sight
Ray Tracing Software
BLASTX
Calculating blast loads

Empirical Equations
Pressure / wavelength / impulse curves based on test data and theory
Line-of-sight
Ray Tracing Software
BLASTX
Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Software
MAZ
WALAir Fast running CFD GPGPU
How are the methods different?

Empirical Equations Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Revit WALAIR
Are there drawbacks to empirical methods?

Not applicable for low scaled ranges 1.0E+06

No good for contact/close-in

blast
Cannot capture complex conditions 1.0E+04

Scaled blast parameters

Cannot easily capture multiple
reflections 1.0E+02

Line of sight only (i.e. no good

around corners)
1.0E+00
Propagation through openings or
frangible material (tough even for
CFD)
1.0E-02

May be conservative 0.1 1

Scaled distance
10 100

May be unconservative
Why not use CFD methods all the time?

Empirical methods are much faster

No real model to develop
Calculations have negligible run
time (near instantaneous)
Easily reproducible
Empirical methods represent an
industry standard
Complexity of load-time history
CFD may provide false sense of
accuracy
Need to understanding the
accuracy and capability of CFD
When do we need to use CFD methods?

When the complexity of the load-time history is

important
When the level of conservatism being
carried is too high
When static design methods are too
conservative
When SDOF methods are insufficient
When we need to know what happened during
an event.
When the loading environment is complex
Urban canyon
Internal explosion events
When do we need to use CFD methods?

When the complexity of the load-time history is

important
When the level of conservatism being
carried is too high
When static design methods are too
conservative
When SDOF methods are insufficient
When we need to know what happened during
an event.
When the loading environment is complex
Urban canyon
Internal explosion events
Calculating structural response to blast
SDOF analysis

Pressure dependent

Impulse dependent

Pressure-time dependent
Calculating structural response to blast
SDOF analysis

Pressure dependent

Impulse dependent

Pressure-time dependent
Calculating structural response to blast
SDOF analysis

Pressure dependent

Impulse dependent

Pressure-time dependent
Calculating structural response to blast
SDOF analysis
Calculating structural response to blast
Iso-damage contour plot for brick built houses

A Complete demolition
B Severe damage, demolition required
- Temporary uninhabitable
- Minor structural damage
D Urgent repair

Graph based on Cormie,Mays, Smith, Blast effects on buildings, Thomas Telford 2nd Ed, 2009
Calculating structural response to blast
Finite element modelling
Urban Canyon
Urban Canyon

By David Brooks - http://www.flickr.com/photos/dpriddy/140684847/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23159606

Urban Canyon Effect
Urban Canyon
Urban Canyon
Urban Canyon Scenario 1
Urban Canyon Scenario 1
Urban Canyon Scenario 2
 Scenario 1

Scenario 2
 Scenario 1
IBD 222m

Scenario 2
IBD 222m
Verification & Validation

Gives you confidence your analysis results are correct

Verification
Part of the software development process.
Ensures that the code does what it is supposed to do.
Validation
Key to ensuring that the results you get are correct.

Comparison with other software

Comparison with experiments
Verification & Validation
Comparison with other software
Verification & Validation
Comparison with experiments

40

30

20

10
Impulse (Error %)

0
-40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40

-10

-20

Air3D
-30 ConWep
WALAIR GPU 75mm cells
WALAIR GPU 50mm cells

-40
Pressure (Error %)

Stephens, R., Nicholas, T., Validation of blast analysis software (Air3d and ConWEP) with trials data, Home Office Scientific Development Branch, Publication No. 38/07, in partnership with Centre for the
Protection of National Infrastructure, June 2007
Verification & Validation
Comparison with experiments
Verification & Validation
Comparison with experiments
Verification & Validation
Comparison with experiments
Summary

Understand what an explosion looks like

Identify different types of blast analysis methods/tools and the limitations associated with each.
Understand the assumptions required to utilize simplified blast analysis tools
Appreciate the complexity of high fidelity blast analysis tools
Judge when different blast analysis tools are more or less applicable for a given situation.

QUESTIONS?
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