Blunt Trauma from Blast-Induced Building Debris

Protecting building occupants from blast effects is a primary focus of current research. One of the primary injury mechanisms is blunt trauma, as structural and architectural elements of the building as well as building contents are projected by the force of the blast and impact humans inside the building. A series of experiments was performed recently in which instrumented anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) were placed in cubicles and subjected to impacting debris from windows and wood stud walls to observe their response. Injury levels were estimated using established human injury criteria and scaling techniques, some of which have been validated through years of automotive safety testing.

The tests provided a significant number of data points (21 in all) that allow the quantification of relationships between blunt trauma injury levels and the blast impulse on the building. By testing various configurations of windows, the data supports conclusions regarding the effect of window parameters on injury level, such as annealed vs tempered glass, glass thickness, and size. Additionally, a number of retrofit concepts were tested, including anti-shatter film using both daylight and restrained application, and shielding by computer equipment. One test exposed an ATD to wood stud wall debris.

Taken as a set, these tests provide a coherent and well documented data set with important implications regarding the efficacy and potentially deleterious effects of commonly used retrofit techniques with regard to the blunt trauma levels received by occupants.