How do explosions kill people?

[Honda400exrox]

I seen a show last nite, it said that it creates a high pressure area rupturing your organs, is this true?

[quads14589]

well whith a bomb there is million peices of shrap metal in the air

[Scro]

I'm sure there are several reasons why someone would die in an explosion; flying debris, fire, etc. I guess that if the explosion was big enough it could do some internal damage from the pressure, but not from a small one.

I would think that flying debris and severe burns would be the causes that occured the most, but I don't know.

[Honda400exrox]

hmmm makes sense, shrapnel sounds more resonable

Knowing my luck, I wouldn't even die from the blast itself. A bear would probably come up and kill me.

[450robot]

its either shrapnel, or the shockwave from the explosion

internally, the right explosion level can accually liquify oyur organs

[PolarisRider06]

the shockwave is a big part of it from what i have heard... if you think about it when you use a little to much gas to light a fire or if you don't get the grill lit ontime and the propane builds up and you get a good little explosion you can feel that shockwave... now make that way bigger even like a small bomb (like a grenade) would have and that can kill you the shrapnel is a big part of it a lot of times with things like grenades to though.

if its not from the shockwave directly its indirectly in a lot of cases with the larger bombs (like the car bombs and suicide bombers over in israel) because the shockwave is what causes the buildings to collapse and the debris to fly and all that good stuff. after the initial shockwave there is another wave like the first that goes back to the center of the explosion because of the extreme low pressure thats created from the explosion and then there is a rush of air coming back in and it all collides in the middle which is what causes the mushroom clouds.

[pastfast125]

so are you saying basically it's AIR that can like completely blow your hand off? I've kind of always wondered that too. I guess it makes sense, because if you think, If you ever have an air gun, like a bb gun, and theres no BBs in it, and you shoot your hand, at a good amount of pumps, you can really feel it good, just imagine that like 100x worse. I'm sure it doesnt take a whole lot to puncture the skin, then anymore than that would just like rip stuff off, lol.

[PismoLocal]

I remember asking my teacher a while ago he he told me this...


Think of gettin hit in the stomach with a baseball bat. It doesnt knock you off your feet but it could quite possibly rupture internal organs and it will bruise your stomach, maybe if done hard enough even break the skin, the shock wave from the explosion is a burst of energy that is strong enough to knock you off your feet. Think about how hard you would have to hit some one with a baseball bat to literally get them air born and send them back five feet. The force from the explosion is just like the force from the bat exept the explosion is hitting your whole body. Harder then some one could with a bat.

[pastfast125]

It's probably like if you had a brick wall mounted on the front of a truck and it hit you doin like 30mph.


Now who wants to go get some pipe bombs and be the official ATVriders.com tester?:blah:

[wilkin250r]

Imagine jumping off a 20ft building, and landing on concrete. If your legs took the entire impact, they would probably break. Now, imagine that same impact, but taken directly on your stomach. You'd certainly rupture organs.

It's the same amount of force. A force capable of throwing you 30ft is going to be exactly the same amount of force as that of landing from 30ft. It will break ribs, collapse lungs, and rupture organs. And that's neglecting the shrapnel.

Originally posted by MrMan
Knowing my luck, I wouldn't even die from the blast itself. A bear would probably come up and kill me.



LOl that would be ****ty.

[Scott-300ex]

Shrapnal

Concussion

Air when someone gets blown away, but from every explosion, there is air blown away, whether its C-4 or a Firecracker, so it depends on the size.

Like 9/11 that was just fire that killed the people.

To make an explosion you HAVE TO HAVE A CASING. If I lye black powder or gun powder on the ground and light it it will just burn. If I put it in a soda can wrapped with electrical tape it will explode. The heavier the casing, the louder and more powerfull it will be.

When you blast rock, it explodes and pushes the rock out, because the explosion has no where to go. Then the concussion knocks more of the surrounding area down. When the explosion has no where to go it forces its surroundings to break.

A claymore (C-4) Is shrapnal, as well as concussion. It is very powerfull. When it explodes, usually used to tear down material such as the bottom of a ship or a concrete reinforced wall the power or it forces in all directions and blows it away.

IEDs (Improvissed Explosive Device) and Landmines, just kill people from the shrapnal

Grenades just kill people from the shrapnal.

If I stuck an M-80 in your stomach, it would kill you because it EXPLODES, as in goes and forces out. It ignites and expands so it would just tear you apart. Not so much the shrapnal just the expanding if it EXplode, EXpand.

I could go on and on.

I'm a weapon freak and have experience with over the counter explosives, and homade explosives.:devil:

[ak_stick]

No offence, but since I use explosives in the destruction of aircraft and vehicles that cant be removed from a battle field I'm about to pick what you wrote apart.



Originally posted by Scott-300ex

Shrapnel- crap thrown by the bomb when it explodes

Concussion- the overpressure created by the explosion displacing air as it grows.

Air when someone gets blown away, but from every explosion, there is air blown away, whether its C-4 or a Firecracker, so it depends on the size.

Like 9/11 that was just fire that killed the people.

There are three four main types of these of weapons, typical explosives, like a bomb made of just c-4, Fragmenting weapons, i.e. artillery rounds and mortars. Concussive weapons, i.e. bombs dropped from planes, and finaly Thermobarric weapons, commonly known as Fuel Air Explosives these are the most powerful explosives short of nukes, ever heard of the MoAB (Mother of All Bombs) we used in iraq?
Short intro to these weapons

Typical: This is the type of explosive they use to bring a building down, it just blows whatever its set upon up, and destroys through the explosive force it creates
Fragmenting: This kills through the casing of the bomb exploding, and throwing fragments everywhere, normaly offensive hand grenades, mortars, and artillery shells, they normaly detonate above ground, and scatter shrapnel in a wide area, and kill primarly thru this means. Though if it goes off right above you, it might kill you through concusion, if the shrapnel doesn't get you that is. Mostly designed to take out personell
Concussive: These are normaly air dropped weapons, like the bombs used in bombers they kill through the force of the explosion, and blow stuff up via the power they unleash, they're pretty much a typical explosive, and are just in thier own class due to size. A 1000 LB bomb can kill everything within 1,000 ft of ground zero under optimal circumstances (clear field with no cover) this damage is mostly from the over pressure they create, than from fragments, though there are still fragments thrown, they're typicaly not built to do damage that way. More designed to kill buildings and vehicles
Thermobarric/ FAE: This is the most powerful, of the non nuclear weapons pound for pound, they're the most explosive, they operate by spreading a explosive mixture thru the air as they fall, and then once the area is saturated with the highly explosive vapor, they ignite. The overpressure they create will litterly rupture the blood vessles in your body, and kill you by basicly squashing you. they also can be used to set off landmines, and clear out bunkers/caves because when they go off, they use so much air, that it will actualy suck the air out of a cave, much the way napalm was used in WWII against the japanese in caves. You get the same effect as cutting the propane line to a stove, letting it fill the whole house for a couple days, and then flip a light switch.

To make an explosion you HAVE TO HAVE A CASING. If I lye black powder or gun powder on the ground and light it it will just burn. If I put it in a soda can wrapped with electrical tape it will explode. The heavier the casing, the louder and more powerfull it will be.

This is only true if you use a propellent, i.e. Gunpowder, it will burn if its on its own, you have to create a device to create pressure. Where as dynamite requires no device, its explosive on its own.

When you blast rock, it explodes and pushes the rock out, because the explosion has no where to go. Then the concussion knocks more of the surrounding area down. When the explosion has no where to go it forces its surroundings to break. Only if the explosive, or quantity of explosive exceeds the shear strength of what your blasting. Otherwise it will contain the explosion. i.e. the bomb trucks the bomb squad uses, to detonate the explosive, they're built stronger than the bombs, so they dont blow up when the weapon is set off inside

A claymore (C-4) Is shrapnal, as well as concussion. It is very powerfull. When it explodes, usually used to tear down material such as the bottom of a ship or a concrete reinforced wall the power or it forces in all directions and blows it away. Your a little confused here, a Claymore, is a APERS (anti personel) mine, it uses a shaped charge of C-4 to fire its payload of 200 ball bearings forward. It has a 75m kill radius, and a much larger wounding radius. It does this via a steel plate that is harder than the ballbearings infront of it, so when its fired, the C4 pushes the ball bearings out, and the steel plate kicks backwards. This is why it has a 20ft danger zone behind it, or you have to put it up against somthing strong to keep the plate stationary. It can be fired via a command detonator, or via tripwire. They can also be "daisy chained" togeather to create a wider field that is triggered off one switch.

C-4 is just one type of plastic explosive, its usualy sold or delt in a 5lb block, wrapped in wax paper, and looks like silly putty. You can roll it, shape it, or cut it as you need. Its activated by heat and pressure. You can even cut chunks of it off to use as a fire sorce to heat meals, just dont try and stomp it out.

IEDs (Improvissed Explosive Device) and Landmines, just kill people from the shrapnal
This isn't totaly accurate, some landmines kill through shrapnel but others are designed to do a multitude of things, some have a spike they fire upwards, into the leg or foot of the soldier that triggered it, others have a spring loaded grenade, designed to bounce up to knee height and go off. General labeled bouncing betty's. Others have a soft copper plate above the explosive, so that when it detonates, it melts the coper slug and fires it upwards, it will penetrate the undercarrage of vehicles, and then it cools to the point that it will fly around in the vehicle and kill the occupants, or disable the engine. without shooting straight through, though this is normaly a anti vehicle mine.

IED's on the otherhand, are however the designer built them, mostly made from artillery shells, or dud aircraft bombs. How they kill is all based off what they're made from. I've seen some that were shrapnel, and others that were concussive.


Grenades just kill people from the shrapnal.
This isn't true, it all depends on the make and model of the grenade. Typicaly american grenades are more offensive hand grenades, more fragments, less blast, but some countries, esp soviet equiped ones use a more defensive grenade, that has more of a concussive blast. They kill you just by rupturing blood vesseles with the over pressure they create, and typicaly have fewer fragments. Then there is the whole slew of incindiary grenades, that kill by fire, or are used to disable vehicles, by burning through them. Like in band of brothers when they drop them in the muzzle of the german cannons to weld the breaches shut. Or in blackhawk down when they throw the grenade in to catch the downed hawk on fire (thats what I do.) A typical thermite grenade will eat all the way through an engine block in no time. It will eath all the way through the main rotor and transmition of a black hawk in a bout 2 mins. Other grenades like flashbangs/stun grenades use concusion to knock you loopy, though if they're too close, they can kill you.

If I stuck an M-80 in your stomach, it would kill you because it EXPLODES, as in goes and forces out. It ignites and expands so it would just tear you apart. Not so much the shrapnal just the expanding if it EXplode, EXpand. You have the right idea, this is the explosive over pressure I'm talking about

I could go on and on.

I'm a weapon freak and have experience with over the counter explosives, and homade explosives.


I'll post a pic of each in a second.

[ak_stick]

These are pictures of a fragmenting weapon, I *think* this was done by a 82mm Mortar, but I'm not totaly sure, It was ruled to be either a RPG that was fired randomly over the wall into the compound, or a Mortar went off right next to the conex.

Either way, these are a couple good pictures of how a fragmenting warhead kills.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/ak_stick/P9230202.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/ak_stick/P9230201.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d127/ak_stick/P9230199.jpg


When I can upload my pics of the concussive I will photobucket is not being helpfull right now

explosions are gases rapidly expanding.

[pastfast125]

what all is something like an m80 or a quarter stick composed of? It almost seems like it's just that cardboard/waxy canister, fille dwith gunpoweder or something.

So in a sense, wouldnt if you take teh pellets out of a 12gauge shotgun shell, then sealed it back up witha fuse attached, wouldnt that basically be what an m80 is?

[ak_stick]

yes and no.

I dont know the exact composition of dynamite/c4 or any of the other explosives we use. I know its like gunpowder, but its also got nitroglycerin (dont even know how to spell that) in it. I'm not sure what else.

If you take all of the pellets out of a shotgun shell, it would be pretty much an M-80, except with gunpowder, it will just burn, your not going to get much of a explosion unless you've got it inside somthing to contain the gasses. thats why it works in the chamber of a gun, but if a round catches fire outside, it just pops the shell and doesn't explode and send the bullet rocketing off.

[Dan_Guetter]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
Imagine jumping off a 20ft building, and landing on concrete. If your legs took the entire impact, they would probably break. Now, imagine that same impact, but taken directly on your stomach. You'd certainly rupture organs.

It's the same amount of force. A force capable of throwing you 30ft is going to be exactly the same amount of force as that of landing from 30ft. It will break ribs, collapse lungs, and rupture organs. And that's neglecting the shrapnel.


How the hell you been dude?....smarty:blah:

[STEVENJANNA]

The easiest way to describe how the energy in an explosion works is !!!!!!I DON"T SUGGEST ANYONE EVER DO THIS!!!!!!!! If you hold your hand flat out palm up and place and set off a firecracker on it will sting a big but won't do any damage. Now do the same thing but make a fist.... You'll blow your hand apart..

[Scott-300ex]

Yes, that is true with a firecraker, your hand acts like a casing when it is fisted, and the explosion has to go somewhere, so it takes your hand, although firecrackers around me aren't very strong, but still don't try it.

Dynamite is like Nitrolglycerin. Potassium Nitrate is used to I think, it comes to mind but I'm drawing a blank.

I can make a dynamite mixture with things around the home, its real simple.

If you light a shotgun shell, which I believe you would need to add a powder, it is not like an M80.

BOMBS-Release fragments, such as pellets or frags of metal.
EXPLOSIVES-Blow up and produce power and fire.

I gaurentee you if you get caught with a bomb, you will be in way more trouble than if you get caught with an explosive.

If I taped pellets around an M80 then I would classify it as a bomb. If I light an M80 I can stand 10 feet away, because it is an explosive. If I light a bomb the same size and charge, if I stand 10 feet away I would be WIA (Wounded In Action)

Thanks ak_stick for commenting on my post. And telling some more types of bombs.

So your in Iraq? Thats intresting, you prolly went to artillery/weapons school. Wut is your duties over there? Hows it goin, blah blah blah.......... Stay safe man.

[ak_stick]

No I'm just a member of the DART (Downed Aircraft Recovery Team) We go in when a bird has been shot down, or had an emergency and has to land, and we either fix it, lift it out, or blow it in place. So we get some extra toys to play with.

anyways, life in Iraq is fun, but I'm ready to get back to Alaska, and my R.

[Scott-300ex]

Yeh I bet.

You gotta blow it so Iraques can't use any of it. Haha, fun for you.

[ak_stick]

That, and helicopters have alot of secure items on them, they have to be gathered up or destroyed, and the crew doesn't always do that before they bug out.


But it takes like a 3star general to authorize the destruction of a bird, mostly a team goes in, picks it up, puts it on a semi and trucks out.

[rbgnwa45]

All this explosion talk makes me queezy :huh

Originally posted by rbgnwa45
All this explosion talk makes me queezy :huh

thats nice


did anyone watch future wepons(whatever its called) last night they talked about it

you die from shrapnel, or expanding air

[fast_enough]

Originally posted by pastfast125
If you ever have an air gun, like a bb gun, and theres no BBs in it, and you shoot your hand, at a good amount of pumps, you can really feel it good, just imagine that like 100x worse.

Just imagine if there was still a BB in there...uh oh

[Scro]

Originally posted by fast_enough
Just imagine if there was still a BB in there...uh oh


ouch:scary: