Tracking effects of internal explosions on submerged boxes
Tracking effects of internal explosions on submerged boxes lead image
Increased shipping traffic over the past several decades has heightened the risk and cost of shipping accidents, with collisions, groundings, and sinkings causing significant damage and potentially delaying subsequent shipments. Clearing debris in these cases can involve setting explosive charges underwater to speed up salvage operations.
Fei et al. studied the effects of an internal explosion on an underwater sealed box using both experimental and numerical methods.
Most research in this area has focused on external explosions, where the explosive charges are placed outside the box. Internal explosions, however, feature multiple reflections of the pressure wave and can therefore be more damaging, as well as more complex.
Using an experimental tank filled with water and a thin-walled steel box, the researchers performed multiple tests to evaluate the effects of an internal explosive charge, including analyzing the internal fluid pressure field.
“The pressure converges at the corners of the box, causing the corners of the box to crack first. This is a unique failure mode of internal explosion of the structure,” said author Hua-chang Fei.
The authors hope their research could help guide shipwreck dismantling and cleanup, and plan to explore additional variables in future studies.
“Sunken ships in waterways are diverse,” said Fei. “Due to differences in their size, location, the depth and width of the waterway, the degree of harm to the waterway will also vary.”
In subsequent work, the researchers plan to study the influence of different factors on the internal explosive damage to underwater boxes, such as the amount of explosives, wall thickness, water depth, and the position of the explosives.
Source: “Experimental and numerical investigation of the damage effects in an underwater confined box subjected to internal blast loading,” by Hua-chang Fei, Xing-bo Xie, Gui-li Yang, Hua-yuan Ma, Yun-kai Zhao, Ming-shou Zhong, Journal of Applied Physics (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0265530 .
