Device for Underwater Laboratory Simulation of Unconfined Blast Waves

TL;DR

This paper introduces an underwater blast simulation device using oxy-acetylene to generate controlled shock waves for laboratory experiments, aiding research in marine safety and explosive mitigation.

Contribution

It presents a novel underwater blast simulator capable of producing adjustable peak pressures, filling a gap in experimental tools for underwater blast research.

Findings

Peak blast pressures up to 1860 kPa achieved

Shot-to-shot pressure variability was manageable

Pressure can be tuned by adjusting distance from source

Abstract

Shock tubes simulate blast waves to study their effects in air under laboratory conditions; however, few experimental models exist for simulating underwater blast waves that are needed for facilitating experiments in underwater blast transmission, determining injury thresholds in marine animals, validating numerical models, and exploring mitigation strategies for explosive well removals. This method incorporates an oxy-acetylene driven underwater blast simulator which creates peak blast pressures of about 1860 kPa. Shot-to-shot consistency was fair, with an average standard deviation near 150 kPa. Results suggest peak blast pressures from 460 kPa to 1860 kPa are available by adjusting the distance from the source.