Back to results

Virginia Tech

Numerical Comparison of Muzzle Blast Loaded Structure

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Modeling and simulation have played an essential role in understanding the effects of blast waves. However, a broad area of engineering problems, such as vehicle structures, buildings, bridges, or even the human body, can benefit by accurately predicting the response to blasts with little need for test or event data. This thesis reviews fundamental concepts of blast waves and explosives and discusses research in blast scaling. Blast scaling is a method that reduces the computational costs associated with modeling blasts by using empirical data and numerically calculating blast field parameters over time for various types and sizes of explosives. This computational efficiency is critical in studying blast waves' near and far-field effects. This thesis also reviews research to differentiate between free-air blasts and gun muzzle blasts and the progress of modeling the muzzle blast-structure interaction. The main focus of this thesis covers an investigation of different numerical and analytical solutions to a simple aerospace structure subjected to blast pressure. The thesis finally presents a tool that creates finite element loads utilizing muzzle blast scaling methods. This tool reduces modeling complexity and the need for multiple domains such as coupled computational fluid dynamics and finite element models by coupling blast scaling methods to a finite element model.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Aerospace Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Aerospace and Ocean Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2022

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Quinn, Xavier Anthony
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Kapania, Rakesh K.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Schetz, Joseph A.
  • Patil, Mayuresh J.

Subjects

dc:subject × 3

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:34040
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/109342

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Quinn, Xavier Anthony. Numerical Comparison of Muzzle Blast Loaded Structure. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/109342