This report documents a set of simplified models to predict pipeline collapse under nuclear pressure loading. After a review of pipeline design literature, a set of simple expressions have been selected to represent an approximation of the threshold pressure for failure from cross- sectional yielding, cross-section buckling, and longitudinal buckling. These expressions provide a first-order approximation on load levels needed to achieve collapse. As a demonstration, the collapse pressure for a set of representative pipelines are calculated. Estimated pressure fields are also computed for a set of nuclear detonations, providing estimates of the ground range limit for pipeline collapse.
With the increasing use of hydrocodes in modeling and system design, experimental benchmarking of software has never been more important. While this has been a large area of focus since the inception of computational design, comparisons with temperature data are sparse due to experimental limitations. A novel temperature measurement technique, magnetic diffusion analysis, has enabled the acquisition of in-flight temperature measurements of hyper velocity projectiles. Using this, an AC-14 bare shaped charge and an LX-14 EFP, both with copper linings, were simulated using CTH to benchmark temperature against experimental results. Particular attention was given to the slug temperature profiles after separation, and the effect of varying equation-of-state and strength models. Simulation fidelity to experiment was shown to greatly depend on strength model, ranging from better than 2% error to a worst case of 22%. This varied notably depending on the strength model used. Similar observations were made simulating the EFP case, with a minimum 4% deviation. Jet structures compare well with radiographic images and are consistent with ALEGRA simulations previously conducted. Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525. SAND2017-10009C.
With the increasing use of hydrocodes in modelling and system design, benchmarking of software against experiments has become even more vital. While substantial work has been done in this regard, comparisons with temperature data within dynamic experiments are sparse due to experimental limitations. However, novel developments in measurement techniques has enabled the in-flight acquisition of hypervelocity projectile temperature, providing a new source for validation. This is achieved by tracking the decay of an induced magnetic field which is related to conductivity and further correlated to material temperature. As such, an AC-14 bare shaped charge with a copper lining is simulated using CTH, and benchmarked against experimental temperature results observed by Uhlig and Hummer. Particular attention was given to the slug temperature profiles after separation, and the effect of varying equation-of-state and strength models. Simulations are in agreement with experimental results, with a best case of under 2% error between the observed and simulated temperatures for this shaped charge setup. This varied notably (around 20% variance) depending on strength model. Jet structures compare well with radiographic images and are consistent with ALEGRA simulations previously conducted. SAND2017-3686C.
Code validation against experimental data is vital in building confidence for the use of simulation software in modeling and system design. Temperature data is of particular interest in the study of hypervelocity impact, however the experimental measurement of temperature in such a regime is difficult. Novel developments in measurement techniques have enabled the measurement of in-flight hypervelocity projectile temperature. This is done by saturating the projectile with a magnetic field, in flight, and tracking its decay, which is related to material conductivity and therefore temperature. This study seeks to use CTH to computationally model experiments conducted by Uhlig and Hummer in which in-flight temperature of an explosively formed projectile (EFP) was measured. Comparing CTH results to physical observations serves as a benchmark for the accuracy of internal temperature calculations. Transient temperature results were shown to vary greatly with chosen strength model, with highest accuracy (3.4%) being attained with the Johnson Cook model. These results were on the same order as previously done ALEGRA simulations, though with differing variations between strength models, and EFP structure matches well with experimental x-ray. SAND2017-3687C.
This paper details modeling of metal fragmentation of pipe-bomb configurations using the Euler-Lagrange code Zapotec. Zapotec couples the hydrocode CTH with the transient-dynamics finite element code Sierra/SM (also known as Presto) through a step-wise interchange of geometry, state data, and pressure. In this work, three experimental studies of pipe-bomb configurations were simulated using Zapotec, where the metal case was modeled using finite elements and the explosive was modeled with CTH. In the three examples, experimental and simulated debris distributions and early-time debris velocities generally showed excellent agreement. These studies both help build confidence in the use of Zapotec for simulating structural response under shock loadings.
The work presented in this report concerns the response and failure of thin 2024- T3 aluminum alloy circular plates to a blast load produced by the detonation of a nearby spherical charge. The plates were fully clamped around the circumference and the explosive charge was located centrally with respect to the plate. The principal objective was to conduct a numerical model validation study by comparing the results of predictions to experimental measurements of plate deformation and failure for charges with masses in the vicinity of the threshold between no tearing and tearing of the plates. Stereo digital image correlation data was acquired for all tests to measure the deflection and strains in the plates. The size of the virtual strain gage in the measurements, however, was relatively large, so the strain measurements have to be interpreted accordingly as lower bounds of the actual strains in the plate and of the severity of the strain gradients. A fully coupled interaction model between the blast and the deflection of the structure was considered. The results of the validation exercise indicated that the model predicted the deflection of the plates reasonably accurately as well as the distribution of strain on the plate. The estimation of the threshold charge based on a critical value of equivalent plastic strain measured in a bulge test, however, was not accurate. This in spite of efforts to determine the failure strain of the aluminum sheet under biaxial stress conditions. Further work is needed to be able to predict plate tearing with some degree of confidence. Given the current technology, at least one test under the actual blast conditions where the plate tears is needed to calibrate the value of equivalent plastic strain when failure occurs in the numerical model. Once that has been determined, the question of the explosive mass value at the threshold could be addressed with more confidence.