Blast criteria for open spaces and enclosures.

A review of the history of blast research is presented from before World War II to the present time. The mechanisms of blast injury and the nature of the injuries are described. Casualty criteria applicable to man's exposure to single blasts in open terrain as a function of overpressure duration and orientation are given. Damage-risk criteria for man exposed to repeated blasts of low and high intensity are described. The hazards from blast waves entering open structures are described with criteria for personnel located in a standard two-man open foxhole. Methods of establishing the air blast dose in a variety of exposure conditions are illustrated. The present state-of-the-art on personnel protection afforded by rigid and soft protective garments is given. Information on animal response to blast waves generated inside enclosures from the firing of recoilless weapons and the detonation of high-explosive charges is discussed along with the problem of defining the extent of performance decrement in relation to the air blast dose.