A review of current safe distance calculations and the risk of mild traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Explosive breaching is a tactic operational professionals use to gain rapid entry and tactical advantage. This tactic exposes individuals to repeated low-level blasts (LLB), overpressure exposure generally occurring from user-directed munitions. The experimentation described in this paper highlights the need for further research into implementing explosives in tactical situations, specifically in confined areas, and the effects on individuals exposed. While current safety calculations predict peak pressures from an open-air detonation, this study incorporates the impulse of the total explosive event in a confined space. Sixteen explosive events were conducted to measure peak overpressures of the total duration of the event using pencil probes and flush mount-type sensors. These pressure sensors measured detonations at distances greater than or equal to the calculated minimum safe distances (MSD). The study compares these data with the Hopkinson–Cranz scaling law, the Weibull formula, and Kingery–Bulmash (KB) predictions. Additionally, a scaled mouse-to-human model for developing mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) using pressure vs. impulse (P–I) graphs demonstrates areas of concern in the collected data. Results show that at distances exceeding the MSD, with personal protective equipment (PPE), and at pressures lower than those considered safe, mTBI is possible. Peak overpressures were measured to be 2.5 times higher than safety thresholds and impulses as high as 274 kPa ms. Confined area detonations produced 1.2–1.4 times greater pressures than open-air detonation measurements. Individuals who undergo breaching training will likely experience multiple exposures of this nature throughout their career, often occurring in rapid succession.