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Overpressure (or blast overpressure) is the pressure caused by a shock wave over and above normal atmospheric pressure. The shock wave may be caused by sonic boom or by explosion , and the resulting overpressure receives particular attention when measuring the effects of nuclear weapons or thermobaric bombs .
Describes effects, particularly blast effects, and the response of various types of structures to the weapons' effects Much of the destruction caused by a nuclear explosion is from blast effects. Most buildings, except reinforced or blast-resistant structures, will suffer moderate damage when subjected to overpressures of only 35.5 kilopascals ...
The ears are most often affected by the overpressure, followed by the lungs and the hollow organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal injuries may present after a delay of hours or even days. [3] Injury from blast overpressure is a pressure and time dependent function.
Blast waves cause damage by a combination of the significant compression of the air in front of the wave (forming a shock front) and the subsequent wind that follows. [15] A blast wave travels faster than the speed of sound, and the passage of the shock wave usually lasts only a few milliseconds. Like other types of explosions, a blast wave can ...
The blast created an overpressure of 10 pounds per square inch (69 kPa) on the target, [11] a moving wall of highly compressed air with maximum wind speeds of 294 miles per hour (473 km/h). An overpressure blast of that magnitude is equivalent to a 1 megatonne of TNT (4.2 PJ) burst at roughly 8,000 feet (2,400 m) [ 12 ] and is sufficient to be ...
The time available to react to a thermal event does increases survivability by rapid equipment designed to react in a fragment of a second. The primary effect of the thermal effect from an explosive detonation on structures, material, and ammunition and explosives (A&E) is their partial or total destruction by fire.
A blast valve is used to protect a shelter, such as a fallout shelter or bunker, from the effects of sudden outside air pressure changes. A nuclear weapon creates a shock wave, which may produce sudden pressure changes of more than an atmosphere (about 1 bar) even several kilometres from the detonation point.
For example, Ibolja Cernak, a leading researcher in blast wave injury at the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, hypothesized, "alterations in brain function following blast exposure are induced by kinetic energy transfer of blast overpressure via great blood vessels in abdomen and thorax to the central nervous system."