Numerical method and simplified analytical model for predicting the blast load in a partially confined chamber

The paper presents a study aimed at understanding the characteristics of an internal explosion within a chamber with limited venting. The study includes numerical simulations and analytical derivations. An in-house 3D code employing an improved weighted essentially non-oscillatory (WENO) conservative finite difference scheme was used to carry out the simulations. It is indicated that the proposed improved WENO scheme can resolve the shock waves with higher accuracy and resolution. Further, a simplified analytical model to predict the quasi-static overpressure was developed based on the conservation law of total energy and dimensional analysis theory. It is demonstrated that the proposed simplified approach for prediction of the quasi-static overpressure agrees well with simulation results for a wide range of explosive weights and venting hole sizes. The studies in this paper provide an efficient method to predict the blast load inside a partially confined chamber for the analysis of the consequences of explosion.