The Simulation Of Dust Effects From Fragmenting Charges

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to determine the reason for the discrepancy in estimated and observed damage caused by fragmenting charges in closed environments.Design/methodology/approach - A series of carefully conducted physical and numerical experiments was conducted. The results were analyzed and compared.Findings - The analysis shows that for fragmenting charges in closed environments, dust plays a far larger role than previously thought, leading to much lower pressures and damage.Research limitations/implications - In light of these findings, many assumptions and results for fragmenting charges in closed environments need to be reconsidered.Practical implications - This implies that for a far larger class of problems than previously estimated it is imperative to take into consideration dust production and its effect on the resulting pressures.Originality/value - This is the first time such a finding has been reported in this context.