A History of Research and a Review of Recent Developments

Introduction
Explosions can threaten people’s lives. They can also threaten the integrity of
dwellings, industry and the security of communications, transport and services.
Explosions can be man-made or result from tragic accidents, and can range
from nuclear explosions to the firing of a shotgun; or from the detonation of
unconfined vapour clouds to a bursting tyre. Explosions can be used as weapons
of war as well as instruments of peace. The military sappers and miners of one
generation become the quarry blasters of another.
Almost every evening our television screens show the effects of explosions
on structures. A shattered hotel, a damaged police post, a domestic gas explosion,
the explosive failure of an aircraft pressure bulkhead or of a jet engine. In spite
of this the engineering profession in general is not well versed in the design of
static or moving structures to withstand explosions, partly because in the past
specifications have rarely included explosive loading as a factor in design, and
partly because the various dynamic effects of explosions on structures have
only been examined as research subjects in a small number of research laboratories.
The cost of providing a safe environment for research and testing is high, and
experimental work in most countries has been left to the armed services, government
research establishments, or to large industrial explosive manufacturers. Very often
the results are not openly reported because of security restrictions. The author,
however, senses a change, and a growing need for information. The risk of chemical
plant explosions is a demanding design problem. A level of protection against
nuclear and conventional weapons of attack is often specified in new civil works,
and there is a terrorist danger, which threatens marine and ships’ structures as
well as buildings, bridges and aircraft. The Gulf War in 1991 emphasized the
structural damage that can result from modern weapons of great accuracy.
Where can the designer turn for advice? There are several good texts on the
physics of explosions, the science of detonics and the design of protective structures.
A fund of knowledge lies in the archives of government departments and the
services on the testing of devices of war. The collection of wartime home security
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