Numerical study of explosive-soil contact angle effects on blast pressure and crater morphology with TNT and aluminized explosives

Abstract

Blast pressure propagation and crater morphology from surface detonations are governed by explosive type, geometry, soil properties, and the position of the explosive relative to the soil. In this study, multi-material arbitrary Lagrange-Eulerian (MMALE) simulations are conducted to investigate the effects of contact angle variations on blast pressure and crater morphology for TNT and Aluminized Enhanced Blast Explosive (AEBE). The discretized MMALE model is verified by comparing the results with experimental results, and the blast pressure and crater morphology are accurately predicted. Numerical simulations reveal that contact angle variations lead to nonlinear changes in blast pressure and crater morphology. AEBE produces consistently higher peak overpressure than TNT, and crater aspect ratio and volume are strongly influenced by contact angle. Polynomial regression models effectively characterize the nonlinear and systematic variations associated with contact angle changes. An effective methodology is established to evaluate the effects of variations in contact angle with both TNT and AEBE.