Comparison of Maximum Peak Pressures of Free Underwater Explosion by Numerical Modeling and Empirical Expressions

Abstract

The article compares the results of empirical expressions for the maximum peak pressures of an underwater explosion and numerical models made in hydrocode software LS-DYNA. Spherical charge of 136.08 kg TNT explosive was chosen and observed distance was up to 15 m. An overview of empirical expressions is given and the results according to several authors are compared. The Cole expression was chosen as a reference for comparison. For the purpose of the numerical modelling, the influence of the size of the finite elements of the explosive, the size and shape of the volume of water and the size of the finite elements of water was examined. The size of the finite elements of the medium (water) was shown to be the most significant parameter that affects the magnitude of the pressure results, and recommendations for modelling were given.

Keywords

• empirical expressions
• maximum peak pressure
• numerical modelling
• underwater explosion