Military folks and war experts - Bomb question

Pressure wave can kill you even if nothing hits you shrapnel wise, also generates a tremendous amount of flash heat

When an explosion occurs, there is a rapid release and expansion of gases. As these expand, they push on the surrounding air molecules. This causes compression of a layer of air which then expands outward in a hemispherical wave.

The compressed air layer is much denser than normal air. If a human being is close enough to the epicenter of the explosion, the wave will be dense enough, and traveling fast enough, that when it reaches them it cause serious physical damage -- like hitting a brick wall. The effect is similar to jumping off a tall bridge into the water below. The only difference is which thing is moving -- and all motion is relative.

The worst part about a shockwave is that it hits you all over, thereby causing trauma on your entire body simultaneously. This alone generates an overload of the nervous system that may be too much to recover from. If that wasn't bad enough, the impact travels in waves through your body, and if powerful enough, will pulverize bones, rupture blood vessels, and even liquefy organs as it passes. All that energy has to go somewhere, so it is absorbed by tissues and bone.

Because the wave expands spherically, theoretically its energy diminishes as the square of the distance from its source. (This is altered, however, by the immediate surroundings, including the ground, which may absorb or reflect some of the wave. Explosive charges can also be shaped, which will cause energy to be directed and focused rather than diffuse.) The energy received at 5 meters is 4 times that received at 10 meters so the degree of damage gets exponentially worse the closer you are to the explosion.

Depends on the type of ordnance. Grenades and Claymores kill with shrapnel usually. Large ones it is often by the concussion of the explosion.

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USAF Hart

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So the suit that is built for soldiers to use while defusing bombs doesn't help much does it?
At least how far would one have to be in order to be outside of danger?

The suits do the best that they can. However, nothing is ever 100% protective. As far as distance goes, it really just depends on the ordinance in question.

What Strannix said.

Just curious as to why you specified "military experts". Just seems like an odd distinction. Sure, there are ordinance experts in the military that would be experts at this. But your regular joe private probably wouldn't. Meanwhile, certain doctors, physicists, LEOs, and other would also be able to answer this question just as well.

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When an explosion occurs, there is a rapid release and expansion of gases. As these expand, they push on the surrounding air molecules. This causes compression of a layer of air which then expands outward in a hemispherical wave. The compressed air layer is much denser than normal air. If a human being is close enough to the epicenter of the explosion, the wave will be dense enough, and traveling fast enough, that when it reaches them it cause serious physical damage -- like hitting a brick wall. The effect is similar to jumping off a tall bridge into the water below. The only difference is which thing is moving -- and all motion is relative. The worst part about a shockwave is that it hits you all over, thereby causing trauma on your entire body simultaneously. This alone generates an overload of the nervous system that may be too much to recover from. If that wasn't bad enough, the impact travels in waves through your body, and if powerful enough, will pulverize bones, rupture blood vessels, and even liquefy organs as it passes. All that energy has to go somewhere, so it is absorbed by tissues and bone. Because the wave expands spherically, theoretically its energy diminishes as the square of the distance from its source. (This is altered, however, by the immediate surroundings, including the ground, which may absorb or reflect some of the wave. Explosive charges can also be shaped, which will cause energy to be directed and focused rather than diffuse.) The energy received at 5 meters is 4 times that received at 10 meters so the degree of damage gets exponentially worse the closer you are to the explosion.

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This

Well done sir. I did 12 yrs in the Army as 21B and your response would've been exactly the same as mine.

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USAF Hart must have stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.

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That saying from the 80's never gets old.

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USAF Hart

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Ask and you shall receive.

The OT never ceases to amaze.