Barrier for protection from an explosion
U.S. and Afghan soldiers standing behind a blast wall made fromHESCO bastions inAfghanistan in 2012 Ablast wall is a barrier designed to protect vulnerable buildings or other structures and the people inside them from the effects of a nearbyexplosion , whether caused byindustrial accident ,military action , orterrorism .
Research byCranfield 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 blastoverpressure 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] Damage toBremer wall concrete barriers in Afghanistan, 2012 Permanent blast walls can be made from pre-castreinforced concrete ,[ 4] [ 5] Bremer wall concrete barriers used inIraq andAfghanistan byUS Armed Forces , and theConcertainers , wire mesh containers filled with sand or soil, which are used byBritish Armed Forces .
Blast barriers at Wikimedia Commons
Ancient Post-classical Modern
Early modern 19th century 20th century
By topography By role By design Lists Related word Other topics
Media related toBlast barriers at Wikimedia Commons
