Blast wall

Research by Cranfield University 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 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{{cite web |url=http://www.civ.uth.gr/cost-c26/documents/6th%20meeting_Timisoara/presentations/WG3/10.Smith%20-%20Blast%20walls.pdf |title=THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BLAST WALLS |last1=Smith |first1=Peter |website=www.civ.uth.gr/ |publisher=Department of Civil Engineering, University of Thessaly |access-date=6 November 2014 |archive-date=6 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106224434/http://www.civ.uth.gr/cost-c26/documents/6th%20meeting_Timisoara/presentations/WG3/10.Smith%20-%20Blast%20walls.pdf |url-status=live }} (p. 5)
• "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 oneSmith p. 7
• 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 effectSmith p. 11

File:Flickr - Official U.S. Navy Imagery - SECNAV examines damage to Camp Bastion, Afghanistan..jpg concrete barriers in Afghanistan, 2012]]

Permanent blast walls can be made from pre-cast reinforced concrete,Smith p. 13 or steel sheeting.{{cite web |url=http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr146.pdf |title=Analysis and Design of Profiled Blast Walls |last1=Louca |first1=L A |last2=Boh |first2=J W |date=2004 |website=www.hse.gov.uk |publisher=Health and Safety Executive |access-date=6 November 2014 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924043916/http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr146.pdf |url-status=live }} Various types of moveable blast wall have been manufactured. These include the Bremer wall concrete barriers used in Iraq and Afghanistan by US Armed Forces, and the Concertainers, wire mesh containers filled with sand or soil, which are used by British Armed Forces.

• Blast shelter
• Shockwave
• Revetment (aircraft)

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{{Commons category-inline|Blast barriers}}

{{Fortifications}}

Category:Fortification (architectural elements)

Category:Explosives engineering

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