Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Abdul-Karim, Nadia
• Blackman, Christopher S.
• Gill, Philip P.
• Karu, Kersti

Titel

The spatial distribution patterns of condensed phase post-blast explosive residues formed during detonation

Ist Teil von

• Journal of hazardous materials, 2016-10, Vol.316, p.204-213

Ort / Verlag

Netherlands: Elsevier B.V

Erscheinungsjahr

2016

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• •Particle distribution patterns from explosive releases are analyte specific.•Applications of mathematical models to particle movement are unsuitable.•The dominant particle dispersal mechanism is the smoke plume, governed by the wind. The continued usage of explosive devices, as well as the ever growing threat of ‘dirty’ bombs necessitates a comprehensive understanding of particle dispersal during detonation events in order to develop effectual methods for targeting explosive and/or additive remediation efforts. Herein, the distribution of explosive analytes from controlled detonations of aluminised ammonium nitrate and an RDX-based explosive composition were established by systematically sampling sites positioned around each firing. This is the first experimental study to produce evidence that the post-blast residue mass can distribute according to an approximate inverse-square law model, while also demonstrating for the first time that distribution trends can vary depending on individual analytes. Furthermore, by incorporating blast-wave overpressure measurements, high-speed imaging for fireball volume recordings, and monitoring of environmental conditions, it was determined that the principle factor affecting all analyte dispersals was the wind direction, with other factors affecting specific analytes to varying degrees. The dispersal mechanism for explosive residue is primarily the smoke cloud, a finding which in itself has wider impacts on the environment and fundamental detonation theory.