Consequence analysis by means of characteristic curves to determine the damage to buildings from bursting spherical vessels

• Published in: Process safety and environmental protection Vol. 86; no. 3; pp. 175 - 181
• Main Authors: Ferradás, Enrique González, Alonso, Fernando Díaz, Miñarro, Marta Doval, Aznar, Agustín Miñana, Gimeno, José Ruiz, Pérez, Juan Francisco Sánchez
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.05.2008
• Subjects: Consequence analysis; Damage to buildings; Sphere explosion; Tank rupture; Vessel burst; Damage to buildings; Vessel burst; Tank rupture; Consequence analysis; Sphere explosion
• ISSN: 0957-5820; 1744-3598
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psep.2007.11.001

Since the damage suffered by buildings as a consequence of explosions usually affect the people inside them, it is important to take it into account when performing consequence analysis. The aim of this paper is to provide a methodology to estimate consequences to buildings from pressure waves produced by spherical vessel burst. This is done by combining characteristic overpressure–impulse–distance curves [González Ferradás, E., Diaz Alonso, F., Sanchez Perez, J.F., Miñana Aznar, A., Ruiz Gimeno, J. and Martinez Alonso, J., 2006, Characteristic overpressure–impulse–distance curves for vessel burst, Process Safety Progress, 25(3): 250–254] with PROBIT equations. The main advantage of this methodology is that it allows an overview of all the magnitudes involved, as damage is shown in the same graph as the overpressure, impulse and distance. In this paper diagrams and equations are presented to determine minor damage to buildings (broken windows, displacement of doors and window frames, tile displacement, etc.), major structural damage (cracks in walls, collapse of some walls) and collapse (the damage is so extensive that the building is partially or totally demolished).