A Review of Blast Loading in the Urban Environment

Abstract

Urban blasts have become a significant concern in recent years. Whilst free-field blasts are well understood, the introduction of an urban setting (or any complex geometry) gives rise to multiple blast wave interactions and unique flow complexities, significantly increasing the difficulty of loading predictions. This review identifies commonly agreed-upon concepts or behaviours that are utilised to describe urban shock wave propagation, such as channelling and shielding, in conjunction with exploring urban characterisation metrics that aim to predict the effects on global blast loading for an urban blast. Likewise, discrepancies and contradictions are highlighted to promote key areas that require further work and clarification. Multiple numerical modelling programmes are acknowledged to showcase their ability to act as a means of validation and a preliminary testing tool. The findings contained within this review aim to inform future research decisions and topics better.