Affiliations: Oregon State University , School of Civil &
Construction Engineering, Corvallis, OR, USA | University of California, San Diego, Department of
Structural Engineering, Jacobs School of Engineering, San Diego, CA, USA
Abstract: The blast simulator at the University of California, San Diego is a
unique tool for conducting full-scale testing of blast effects on structures
without the use of explosive materials. This blast simulator uses high speed
hydraulic actuators to launch specially designed modules toward the specimen,
thereby imparting impulse in a blast-like manner. This method of testing offers
numerous advantages over field tests with actual explosives, including cost,
turn-around time, repeatability, and a clear view of the progression of damage
in the specimen. The viability of this method is established by comparing
results obtained in the blast simulator with results obtained with actual
explosives. The process by which the impulse is imparted to the specimen is
then described by a detailed model based on the equivalent single degree of
freedom method. Impulse calculated by the model is found to be in good
agreement with the experimentally recorded values. Calculated impulse is found
to be relatively insensitive to assumptions made about the specimen's
resistance function (often not well known before a test) implying that the
model can be used with confidence in designing an experimental study.
Keywords: Blast simulator, blast hardening, blast mitigation, infrastructure protection, single degree of freedom method
