This research effort focuses on the evaluation of existing design standards for cold-formed steel stud walls and the development of retrofit wall systems. Full-scale wall systems are tested under uniform static pressure using a vacuum chamber. The resistance functions obtained are used to model the dynamic behavior of the walls and to predict performance under blast conditions. This paper focus...

The case histories of five patients who experienced blast overpressure in excess of 200-dB peak pressure level are presented. Despite the significance of the sound pressure levels received in a military training accident and the severe injuries that resulted from the blast, these individuals experienced substantial improvement of hearing 1 year later. Undoubtedly, successful surgical interventi...

Primary blast injury (PBI) is the general term that refers to injuries resulting from the mere interaction of a blast wave with the body. Although few instances of primary ocular blast injury, without a concomitant secondary blast injury from debris, are documented, some experimental studies demonstrate its occurrence. In order to investigate PBI to the eye, a finite element model of the human ...

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are frequently caused by blasts which trigger a series of neuronal biochemical changes, often resulting in reduced brain/nervous system function and/or cell death. These blasts are characterized by two phases, an initial positive pressure phase closely followed by a negative pressure phase. Other possible blast aftereffects include stretching or shearing of the ce...

When a pressure wave of finite amplitude is generated in air by a rapid release of energy, such as high-pressure gas storage vessel or the blast from dynamite, there may be undetected brain injuries even though protective armors prevent the penetration of the projectile. To study brain tissue injury and design a better personnel head armor under blast wave, computational models of human head ha...

Primary blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is a prevalent battlefield injury in recent conflicts, yet biomechanical mechanisms of bTBI remain unclear. Elucidating specific biomechanical mechanisms is essential to developing animal models for testing candidate therapies and for improving protective equipment. Three hypothetical mechanisms of primary bTBI have received the most attention...

The explosion process of explosives in a borehole applies a very high pressure on its surrounding rock media. This process can initiate and propagate rock fractures, and finally, may result in the rock fragmentation. Rock fragmentation is mainly caused by the propagation of inherent pre-existing fractures of the rock mass and also from the extension of the newly formed cracks within the intact ...

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Although blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI) is well recognized for its significance in the military population, the unique mechanisms of primary bTBI remain undefined. Animate models of primary bTBI are critical for determining these potentially unique mechanisms, but the biomechanical characteristics of many bTBI models are poorly understood. In this study, we examine some common shoc...