Buried Detonation Airblast Characterization

Whether buried detonations are used for productive or destructive purposes, the accurate characterization of the blast wave they generate in air is crucial in preventing and mitigating risks associated with them. In this study, 50kg TNT equivalent explosives buried in a pit of 3m deep, 5m diameter and covered with soil up to 2m above ground level was detonated. To measure the blast waves, four blast pencils were placed at 10m, 20m, 30m and 20m90◦. Using experimental method and theoretical normal shock approach, an extensive parameters to characterize the blast wave were provided and prediction models were developed for each experimental parameter using second order polynomial interpolation. The blast wave parameters include peak overpressure, arrival time, impulse, duration, shock velocity, Mach number, shock front thickness, wave form parameter, density, pressure, temperature and sound speed. The main observation in this paper is that the blast waves recorded were highly
attenuated and their fronts are characterized by two pressure peaks, known as porched shock front waves. To make our models more accurate, more experiments need to be carried out taking into account large range depth of
burial, standoff distance, explosive charge mass, chemical composition, geometry, soil type, moisture content and density.