A blast wall is a barrier designed to protect vulnerable buildings or other structures and the people inside them from the effects of a nearby

explosion An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amount of matter associated with an extreme outward release of energy, usually with the generation of high temperatures and release of high-pressure gases. Explosions may also be generated ...

, whether caused by industrial accident,

military action A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

, or

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

Effectiveness

Research by

Cranfield University Cranfield University is a postgraduate-only public research university in the United Kingdom that specialises in science, engineering, design, technology and management. Cranfield was founded as the College of Aeronautics (CoA) in 1946. Throug ...

Defence Academy, building on earlier work, has shown that blast walls have the following properties: * A non-deforming upright wall will significantly reduce the peak blast

overpressure 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 An explosion is a rapid expansion in volume of a given amoun ...

and impulse in an area between 4 and 6 wall heights behind it * Similar protection occurs at greater distances behind the wall, but to a diminishing extent * Blast walls perform best if the explosion is relatively close to the front of the wall * "Canopied" walls (with a top section overhanging the front face) show some improved blast protection over plane walls * A 90-degree canopy is more effective than a 45-degree one * Walls containing sand or water work well, and cause little damage if they fail * A wall has to stay intact long enough to "interact" with the blast in order to have any effect

Types

Permanent blast walls can be made from pre-cast

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

, or steel sheeting. Various types of moveable blast wall have been manufactured. These include the Bremer wall concrete barriers used in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

US Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except ...

, and the Concertainers, wire mesh containers filled with sand or soil, which are used by

British Armed Forces The British Armed Forces are the unified military, military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its British Overseas Territories, Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests ...

References

External links

Fortification (architectural elements) Explosives engineering {{Fort-stub

Effectiveness

Types

See also

References

External links