- Author
-
Goodale, T.
- Title
- Attempt to Explore the Effect of High Blast Overpressure on the Persistence of Smouldering Combustion in Debris. Summary Report.
- Coporate
- URS Research Co., San Mateo, CA
- Sponsor
- Office of Civil Defense, Washington, DC
- Report
-
URS 7030-6; Summary Report; Modification P616-1,
December 1971,
11 p.
- Contract
- DAHC-20-71-C-0223
- Keywords
-
debris
|
blasts
|
overpressure
|
smoldering combustion
|
thermal radiation
|
nuclear weapons
|
nuclear explosions
|
experiments
|
mattresses
- Identifiers
- blast waves
- Abstract
- Recent research (OCDWork Unit 25341) has shown that fires, simulating those that would occur in urban interiors due to thermal radiation from a nuclear weapon explosion, are extinguished by the blast wave from the explosion in areas in which the peak incident overpressure equals or exceeds about 2.5 psi. Smouldering combustion remained, in fuels capable of supporting it, in these experiments, commonly reigniting the fuels within periods ranging from minutes to hours. The present series of experiments were devoted to exploring the effects of higher shock overpressures, up to about 9 psi, on the persistence of smouldering combustion. It was found that no difference appeared in the persistence of smouldering combustion in cotton-filled mattresses between overpressures of 5 psi and 9 psi. Other fuels tested, i.e., polyurethane foam cushions, and kapok-filled cushions, failed to support smouldering combustions after extinguishment of flaming combustion by blast.