Analysis of the blast wave decay coefficient using the Kingery–Bulmash data

TLDR

Blast design has gained prominence due to increased terrorist attacks, yet existing manuals such as Kingery–Bulmash lack an explicit equation for the blast wave decay coefficient needed to model pressure–time histories. The study proposes new equations for the Friedlander decay coefficient applicable to incident and reflected blasts in free‑air and surface bursts. These equations, expressed as functions of scaled distance and derived from Kingery–Bulmash data, are validated against experimental results and sensitivity analyses, though they are not applicable to close‑in detonations. The validated equations enable reliable and efficient generation of the positive phase of the pressure–time curve, and comparisons with literature confirm their accuracy.

Abstract

A growing interest for the design of structures to sustain blast-induced loads has been observed in recent years as a result of the worldwide rise of terrorist bombing attacks. The blast loading is usually characterized by a sudden increase in the pressure followed by an exponential decay. The parameters of this pressure pulse are essential for design and can be found in various blast design manuals available in the open literature. One of the most widely used sources is a technical report by Kingery–Bulmash, which provides values for many blast parameters in diagrams and polynomial form. However, it does not include an equation for calculating the blast wave decay coefficient, necessary for constructing the pressure–time history of an explosion at a certain point. In this study, a review of the technical literature that contains expressions for the blast pressure decay coefficient is performed, and relevant comparisons have been made. New equations describing the decay coefficient of the Friedlander equation for both incident and reflected cases for free-air and surface bursts are proposed. These equations express the decay coefficient in terms of the scaled distance and are not valid for close-in detonations. They are entirely based on the Kingery–Bulmash data, and their accuracy is satisfactorily checked against new experimental results and their trends assessed through a sensitivity analysis. Accordingly, the positive phase of the pressure–time curve at a point can be reliably and efficiently generated.