BLAST CHARACTERISTICS AND TNT EQUIVALENCE VALUES FOR SOME COMMERCIAL EXPLOSIVES DETONATED AT GROUND-LEVEL

We report measurement of the pressure-time profiles produced by the in itiation at ground level of four common commercial sector explosives w ith different detonation velocities, The results indicate that there a re no significant differences in the blast waveshapes from the explosi ves when measured at distances of 25 and 50 m from the initiation poin t. Analysis of both peak overpressure and positive phase impulse data has yielded values for the TNT Equivalence of the materials at two sca led distances. Our work indicates that the TNT Equivalence values of t he materials studied vary with scaled distance and on whether they are evaluated from overpressure or impulse.