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U.S. Department of Energy
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Probability of people survival in a nuclear weapon blast environment. Final report 17 Apr 79-24 Apr 80

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6647093

This study was concerned with predicting the probability of survival of people located in personnel shelters when subjected to the blast effects produced by the detonation of a 1-MT weapon near the ground surface. Personnel shelters analyzed re buried or with the roof slab at grade. The roof slab is the weakest structural component. Its partial or total collapse results in casualties. When the shelter is thus breached, casualties can also be produced by the blast loading when overpressures are sufficiently high. The analysis formulated predicts the probability of roof slab survival when subjected to an airblast loading. Probability of people survival against slab collapse is estimated based on the fraction of shelter area unaffected by collapse. Probability of survival against blast pressure entering the shelter area is determined using available casualty data. Results are combined to yield the probability of survival against both effects. The analysis considers the variability of selected geometric parameters of the roof slab, material properties and airblast parameters.

Research Organization:
IIT Research Inst., Chicago, IL (USA)
OSTI ID:
6647093
Report Number(s):
AD-A-087600
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English