Scaling of confined explosion and structural response

Dimensional analysis method is employed to determine the relationship between different scale models. Theoretical and experimental studies were carried out to investigate the scaling of explosions in confined spaces. First, a theoretical analysis of the similarity criterion of confined blast load and structural response was carried out. Then, confined explosion tests with 1:2 geometric scaling factor were performed. The results revealed that the blast loads satisfied the similarity criterion. However, the responses of plates did not follow the scaling relationship, which was further analyzed. The similarity approach proposed would be applied in the design of small scale experiments.