Analysis of 3D interaction of a blast wave with a finite wall

The aim of this study is to characterize the interaction of a shock wave with an obstacle. The effect of the length of the obstacle on the shock wave propagation and maximum overpressure is investigated. Several previous studies investigated the use of obstacles such as porous materials, grids, pseudo-perforated walls, triangular wedges, or multi-obstacles as a way to mitigate blast intensity. Here, the focus is on the interaction of an incident shock wave on a single-plate obstacle. This obstacle can be seen as a wall or a low-rise building. The paper presents a small-scale experimental study. The blast wave is created by the detonation of a hemispherical gaseous charge. It is characterized by pressure sensors and a high-speed camera. The pressure sensors record the overpressure and arrival time. The propagation, reflection, and diffraction of the shock wave are analyzed from the pictures produced during the visualization tests.