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Barrier for protection from an explosion
U.S. and Afghan soldiers standing behind a blast wall made from
HESCO bastions in
Afghanistan in 2012
A blast wall is a barrier designed to protect vulnerable buildings or other structures and the people inside them from the effects of a nearby
explosion , whether caused by
industrial accident ,
military action , or
terrorism .
Effectiveness
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
[1]
"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 one
[2]
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 effect
[3]
Types
Damage to
Bremer wall concrete barriers in Afghanistan, 2012
Permanent blast walls can be made from pre-cast
reinforced concrete ,
[4] or steel sheeting.
[5] 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 .
See also
References
External links
Media related to
Blast barriers at Wikimedia Commons
Ancient
Post-classical Modern
Early modern 19th century 20th century
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