How Do You Calculate The Yield Of An Explosion?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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For explosions that happen on the ground, we use this formula: W = R^3*((27136*P+8649)^(1/2)/13568-93/13568)^2 , where W is the yield in tons of TNT, R is the radius in meters, and P is the shockwave pressure in bars, where we generally use 1.37895 bars or 20 psi of pressure.

How strong is a blast of 1 kg of TNT?

A single kilogram of dynamite can yield overpressure effects measured at more than 1,200 kPa (174 psi) at 1 meter and 280 kPa (40.6 psi) at 2 meters. The blast wave expands in all directions unless reflected or channeled by a structure.

How do you calculate overpressure of an explosion?

In practical applications, the overpressure peak of Equation (2) is usually expressed in the following form, (5) p m = s 1 R g + s 2 R g 2 + s 3 R g 3 where R g is the scaled-distance between the point and the detonation point. s 1 , s 2 , and s 3 are constants.

How do you measure TNT?

The “kiloton (of TNT)” is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 terajoules (4.184×10 12 J). The “megaton (of TNT)” is a unit of energy equal to 4.184 petajoules (4.184×10 15 J). The kiloton and megaton of TNT have traditionally been used to describe the energy output, and hence the destructive power, of a nuclear weapon.

What is the yield of an explosion?

One of the most important attributes of an explosion is its yield, which quantifies the energy released in the detonation and is closely related to the damage caused by the blast. The energy released in the explosion generates mechanical motions that propagate as waves to long range (1000’s of km for large explosions).

What size was the Hiroshima bomb?

Little Boy Mass 9,700 pounds (4,400 kg) Length 10 feet (3.0 m) Diameter 28 inches (71 cm) Filling Highly enriched uranium

How much damage can 1 stick of dynamite do?

The force of different varieties may vary 30 to 40 percent , but a properly placed standard stick can blast a 12‐inch tree stump from the ground. Invented by Alfred Nobel in 1866, dynamite has nitroglycerin based in some porous material that is either inert or can itself intensify an explosion.

How many tons of TNT would it take to destroy Earth?

How many tons would it take to destroy Earth? It basically boils away the whole Earth. The gravitational binding energy of Earth is about 2.2*1032 J, corresponding to 5*1022 tons of TNT. The largest weapon tested so far (Tsar bomba) had 50 megatons, we would need 10 15 or 1 quadrillion of them.

What is a shock wave from an explosion?

shock wave, strong pressure wave in any elastic medium such as air, water, or a solid substance, produced by supersonic aircraft, explosions, lightning, or other phenomena that create violent changes in pressure. ... Because of this, shock waves propagate in a manner different from that of ordinary acoustic waves.

What is free field overpressure?

The peak side-on overpressure (Pso) is the maximum pressure increase above the atmospheric pressure (P0); the term “side-on” refers to an undisturbed condition of propagation of the blast wave , also called “free-field” overpressure.

How do you calculate equivalent TNT?

ABSTRACT The term “TNT Equivalence” is used throughout the explosives and related industries to compare the effects of the output of a given explosive to that of TNT.

How much is a kiloton of TNT?

The amount of energy released by a nuclear explosion, generally measured in equivalent tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT). A kiloton is equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT ; a megaton is equivalent to one million tons of TNT.

How is momentum conserved in an explosion?

Whether it is a collision or an explosion, if it occurs in an isolated system, then each object involved encounters the same impulse to cause the same momentum change. The impulse and momentum change on each object are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction. Thus, the total system momentum is conserved .

How many grams of powder is in a stick of dynamite?

The tubes usually hold approximately 3 grams of pyrotechnic flash powder.

What is the blast radius of a 50 megaton bomb?

The Soviet Union built the largest thermonuclear bomb in human history. The name of the bomb was Tsar Bomba. It had a yield of 50 megatons of TNT. Fireball radius was 2.3 km or covering 16.61 square kilometers .

Which is bigger kiloton or megaton?

nuclear weapon yields

words kiloton (1,000 tons) and megaton (1,000,000 tons) to describe their blast energy in equivalent weights of the conventional chemical explosive TNT. ... contrast, is frequently expressed in megatons, each unit of which equals the explosive force of 1,000,000 tons of TNT.

What was minor scale explosion?

MINOR SCALE was a high explosive (HE) test sponsored by the Defense Nuclear Agency It was detonated at 1220 hours on 27 June 1985 on the White Sands Missile Range, NM. The explosive charge consisted of 4744 tons of ammonium nitrate fuel oil (ANFO) poured in bulk into a 44-foot (13.4-m) radius fiberglass hemisphere.

How far away from a nuke is safe?

Death is highly likely and radiation poisoning is almost certain if one is caught in the open with no terrain or building masking effects within a radius of 0–3 km from a 1 megaton airburst , and the 50% chance of death from the blast extends out to ~8 km from the same 1 megaton atmospheric explosion.

How many nukes would it take to destroy the world?

It would take just three nuclear warheads to destroy one of the 4,500 cities on Earth, meaning 13,500 bombs in total, which would leave 1,500 left. 15,000 warheads are the equivalent of 3 billions tons of TNT and 15x the energy of the Krakatoa volcano, the most powerful volcanic eruption ever.

What is the strongest bomb in the World 2021?

The RDS-220 hydrogen bomb, also known as the “ Tsar Bomba “, is the biggest and most powerful thermo nuclear bomb ever detonated.

How big is a stick of TNT?

It is usually sold in the form of a stick roughly eight inches (20 cm) long and one inch (2.5 cm) in diameter but other sizes also exist . Dynamite is considered a “high explosive”, which means it detonates rather than deflagrates. The chief uses of dynamite used to be in construction, mining and demolition.

How big is the blast radius of a stick of dynamite?

Stick of Dynamites have a blast radius of 6 blocks both horizontally and vertically . If thrown without lighting the fuse, the Stick of Dynamite will not explode and can be retrieved using the “E” key. When dropped without lighting the fuse, the fuse appears to be lit, but it does not burn down.

Can sugar be used as an explosive?

It’s easy to forget that sugar can be an explosive . In fact, it’s four times more powerful weight for weight than TNT. ... In 2008, finely powdered sugar ignited at a refinery in Savannah, Georgia, causing a blast that claimed 14 lives. Fortunately, under normal circumstances it takes a lot to make sugar explode.

How much TNT would it take to destroy the sun?

To do that would require a lump of TNT larger than the Sun, roughly 6 x 1034 tons (60 billion, trillion, trillion tons!) . Overcoming the gravitational binding energy would destroy the Sun, as this is the energy required to blow all its bits to an infinite distance away.

How much energy would it take to destroy Earth?

When Manley runs the particulars of Earth through this equation, he figures out that it’d take about 2.25 x 10 32 joules , or 225 million trillion trillion joules. For much larger planets such as Jupiter, you’re going to need about 2 x 10 36 joules, which means 2 trillion trillion trillion joules of energy.

How many newtons of force are in a nuclear bomb?

You’re talking about 10^12 N for medium sized nukes, the closer you get to the bomb the higher the force is but the duration of the pulse is shorter, hence the total impulse is mostly the same whether ur 300 or 1000 m away.

How strong is an explosion shockwave?

Close to an explosion, a shock wave can travel at several times the speed of sound and reach pressures of ten or more atmospheres , producing devastating effects.

At what psi of blast pressure from an explosion does lung collapse or damage occur?

The respiratory system can sustain significant injury, as a result of the blast wave. If the pressure exceeds 40 psi , the victim could sustain a pulmonary contusion, pneumothorax, air embolism, interstitial parenchyma damage, and/or subcutaneous emphysema.

What is blast loading?

A Blast Load is the load applied to a structure or object from a blast wave , which is described by the combination of overpressure and either impulse or duration that causes catastrophic damage to the building both externally and internally.

How fast can a shockwave from an explosion travel?

The initial blast from the explosion will create a shock wave traveling at over 2,000 mph (3218.688 kph) . It eventually slows down as the air pressure equalizes.

How fast is a nuke explosion?

Generally, a faster detonation speed results in a higher yield, and vice versa. Modern nuclear weapons nowadays (300–500 kilotons) have a detonation velocity of up to 800km/sec .

What is blast pressure?

The explosion is a process of rapid energy release , which generates a blast pressure wave [14]. From a spherical explosive source, this pressure wave propagates radially through the air and impinges on the column. The pressure is calculated explicitly in the Euler volume [15].

What is collision formula?

An elastic collision is a collision where both the Kinetic Energy, KE, and momentum, p are conserved. In other words, it means that KE 0 = KE f and p o = p f . Moreover, as p = linear momentum = mv, then we will write m 1 v 1i + m 2 v 2i = m 1 v 1f + m 2 v 2f . ...

What is the most powerful explosive?

Nitroglycerine , discovered in 1846, still remains the most powerful explosive in practical use. Many useful advances have been and are being made, but new explosives are merely new mixtures of old materials, given fancy names.

How big is a 4 megaton explosion?

What if a bomb with a yield of 4 megatons – a convenient term for a blast equivalent of 4 millions of TNT, or about 200 times larger than the Hiroshima bomb – had detonated at Goldsboro? We can take a guess courtesy of NUKEMAP 3D, a nuclear blast simulation created by science historian Alex Wellerstein.

David Evans
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David Evans
David is a seasoned automotive enthusiast. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and has a passion for all things related to cars and vehicles. With his extensive knowledge of cars and other vehicles, David is an authority in the industry.