Numerical Modeling of the Energy Release of Aluminized Oxyacetylene Detonations

This research explored the energy release of pure oxyacetylene and aluminized oxyacetylene detonations and their blast efficiency. A numerical model was developed using blastFoam to accurately capture shock wave parameters using a compressed gas balloon method. For this method, the explosive was replaced by a compressed gas balloon with calibrated initial conditions to replicate the explosive's blast characteristics. The numerical model was validated with experimental data from 0.11 m3 oxyacetylene detonations acquired by Cheney (2024) in the large-scale shock tube research facility at VA Tech (VTSTRF). A series of studies were carried out in this process of model development including: the preliminary building of the model domain with the shock tube geometry and approximation of specific energy of oxyacetylene, a symmetry study, an all-direction mesh refinement study, and an x-direction mesh refinement study. The goal of these studies was to develop a model that accurately captures the energy release from the 0.11 m3 detonation in a sufficiently quick manner. Once the numerical model was developed, it was used to determine the energy release of detonations with varying oxyacetylene volumes and H-10 aluminum concentrations as compared to data collected in the VTSTRF by Cheney (2024) and Kamide and Jacques (2024). A comparison of energy values was carried out against a traditional approach of blast scaling. Similar relationships were found between aluminum concentration and total energy of detonation and blast efficiency. The blastFoam numerical model enables a simpler method of capturing energy release from complex non-ideal detonations, requiring input dependent only on specific energy of the balloon and balloon volume.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civil Engineering

Department dc:contributor.department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Walters, Iliana Rose

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Jacques, Eric Jean-Yves

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Case, Scott W.
• Young, Gregory

• Numerical Modeling
• Blast Efficiency
• Detonation Energy Release

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:42161

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/124405