Damage-Risk Criteria for Personnel Exposed to Repeated Blasts

Abstract : Damage-risk criteria for man subjected to one or twenty short- duration blast waves were presented in terms of peak overpressure, duration, overpressure impulse, range, and yield. Threshold and severe injuries to the lungs, gastro-intestinal tract, and larynx were considered. Predictions of a 1- percent probability of mortality and selected injury levels were also given for repeated blasts of long duration. The results suggested that repeated blasts of sub-threshold levels for a single exposure do not cause gross-non-auditory injuries. For repeated blasts above threshold levels, the severity of blast injuries tended to increase with the number of blasts.