Lecture 17

Blast Loads on above Ground Structures

Three cases can be identified

1. Large blast and large structure
Target structure engulfed and
crushed by blast wave
simultaneously. Such loading
is usually described as
Diffraction loading
2. Large blast and small structure
Target will be engulfed and
crushed, but more significantly,
the force will move target and
damage will result as a
consequence of this motion. The
structure/target is described as
Drag target

Shock front

3. Small blast and large structure

In this case, the response of
individual elements of the
structure can be analyzed
separately

For Case 1 and Case 2, the structure experiences two simultaneous

load components:
1) Due to overpressure, and 2) Drag loading due to dynamic pressure
t1

ta

t3 t4

t5

Elevation

Plane

t2

vortices

Case 3
Damage of the load
carrying columns
may result in
progressive collapse
of the structure

Affected area

Detailed analysis of shock wave-structure interaction is very

complicated. In general the forces imparted to a structure
have three components:
1) Force resulting from incident pressure
2) Force resulting from dynamic pressure
3) Reflected pressure resulting from the shock wave impinging
upon an interfering surface
In engineering application, the following assumptions are usually
made when estimating the blast force on structures:
1) Structure is rigid
2) Structure is rectangular in shape, and there is no other
structures nearby. No street tunnelling effect

1. Blast Load on Front Wall

Pr

A relatively low
pressure range

elevation

Hs

Plane

Ws

Ps0+CDq0

tof

tc
Pr

B high pressure
range
tr

4S
Ws
Ws
tc
, S min( H s , ), R S / G, G max( H s , )
(1 R)Cr
2
2
tc is the clearing time. It is the time required to relieve the reflected
pressure. Cr is is the sound velocity in reflected region.

tof

2is

,
Ps 0

2ir
tr
Pr

tof is the positive phase duration of the shock wave, and tr is a

fictitious duration of the reflected wave.
CD is the drag coefficient, defines the relationship between
dynamic pressure and the total pressure in the direction of wind
produced by the dynamic pressure. It depends on the Mach
number or Reynolds number at low pressure region, and the
geometry of the structure. In design, CD=1.0 is usually assumed
for the front wall.

Blast Load on Roof and Side Walls

As the shock front transverses a structure, a pressure is imparted
to the roof slab and side walls, equal to the incident pressure at a
given time at any specific point reduced by a negative drag
pressure. The portion of the surface might be loaded at a
particular time in positive or negative pulses, depending on the
location of the shock front and the wave length LW.
Because the wave arrival time to different points is different, to
get detailed blast force on roof and side walls need simultaneous
analysis of wave propagation and structural response.

f front point

b b back point

f
LW

D blast wave
front location

In engineering application, usually an equivalent uniform loading

on the roof or side walls (or segments) that has the same effect on
structures as the blast wave propagates across the structure will be
used
The equivalent uniform pressure has the form
CEPs0f+CDq0f

tf
tf+td
tf arrival time of blast wave at point f

tb+tof

td time for pressure to reach the peak value td=D/Uf

tb time for pressure to reach the back point b, the end of the
element

tof=2isf/Ps0f equivalent duration of the positive phase

Ps0f peak overpressure at point f
q0f - at CEPs0f
CE equivalent load factor, is used to account for the fact that
peak pressure values are different across the roof (element)
CD Drag coefficient
Peak dynamic pressure q0b (psi)

Drag Coefficient CD

0-25 (0 - 0.17 MPa)

-0.4

25-50 (0.17 0.35 MPa)

-0.3

50-130 (0.35 0.9 MPa)

-0.2

3. Blast Load on Rear Wall

As the shock front moves past the rear edges of the roof and/or side
walls, the pressure front will expand forming secondary waves
propagate over the rear wall. Procedures used to calculate blast
loads on roof and side walls are used to calculate blast pressure on
rear wall.
Shock
Front
e
b
CEPs0b+CDq0b
td=D/U

Hs
tb tb+td

e
L

Hs

te+tof

Steps to determine blast pressure time curve on a rectangular

structure from an external explosion

1. Determine the charge weight, ground distance RG, and

structure dimension.
2. Select several points on the structure (front wall, roof, rear
walls, etc), and the corresponding distances
3. Determine the front wall loading (if the wave front is not
plane, use average values):
a) calculate tc
b) calculate tof=2is/Ps0
c) determine dynamic pressure q0 for Ps0

d) calculate Ps0+CDq0

e) calculate fictitious reflected pressure duration tr=2ir/Pr

f) construct the pressure time curve. Whichever curve gives the
smaller value of impulse (area under curve), that is the correct
curve to use for the front wall.
4. Determine side wall loading (span direction perpendicular to shock
front)
a) calculate wave length-span ratio LWb/L and determine the
equivalent load factor CE and blast wave location ratio D/L

b) calculate equivalent uniform load CEPs0 and wave location D

c) determine arrival times at front tf and back tb of the element
d) calculate rise time td=D/U
e) calculate positive phase duration tof=2is/Ps0
e) determine peak dynamic pressure q0f for CEPs0f

f) calculate CEPs0f+CDq0f
g) construct the pressure time curve
5. Determine roof loading follow procedure outlined for side wall

6. Determine rear wall loading

a) calculate wave length-span ratio LWb/L and determine the
equivalent load vector CE and blast wave location D/L

b) calculate equivalent uniform load CEPs0b and wave

location D
c) determine arrival times at bottom te and top tb

d) calculate rise time td=D/U

e) calculate positive phase duration tof=2is/Ps0
f) determine peak dynamic pressure q0b for CEPs0b

g) calculate CEPs0b+CDq0b
h) construct the pressure time curve

Example
Determine the pressure time blast loading curves for the front wall,
center roof span and rear wall of the structure shown in the figure
for a surface explosion of 2273 kg (5000 lb) at a distance from the
front wall of 94 m (310ft). Structure width is 15 m (50ft). Shock
front is plane.

3.65m
(12ft)
94 m (310 ft)

6.1m
(20ft)

6.1m
(20ft)

6.1m
(20ft)

Figure 2-15. Positive phase shock wave parameters for a

hemispherical TNT explosion on the surface at sea level
1.E+6
Pr, psi
Pso, psi
Ir, psi-ms/lb^(1/3)
Is, psi-ms/lb^(1/3)
ta, ms/lb^(1/3)
to, ms/lb^(1/3)
U, ft/ms
Lw, ft/lb^(1/3)

1.E+5

10000

1000

100

10

1.0

0.1

.01

.001
0.1

1.0

10

Scaled Distance Z = R/W^(1/3)

100

Example

A surface explosion of 1000 kg TNT equivalent, 10 m from a

single storey structure of 4 m high. Determine the pressure time
curve on the front wall.
Width>> Hs=4m
4m

10m

5m