Posted on 06/08/2006 2:31:15 PM PDT by Pukin Dog
One of the least understood phenomena of a bomb blast is overpressure. Everything in the blast perimeter is subject to a sudden and profound increase in air pressure. This wave of blast overpressure declines rapidly the further it travels. A person 10 feet from a bomb blast will experience nine times the overpressure of a person 20 feet away. But it gets messy and unpredictable. A person who happens to be standing between the bomb and a strong wall is subjected to more blast effect because solid surfaces reflect the blast wave.
You, as you read this, are subjected to normal air pressure of 15 pounds per square inch, depending on how close you are to sea level. The rapidly expanding gases of the bomb push the air out of the way generating air pressures of as much as 700 tons per square inch in the immediate area. But even on the outer perimeters of the blast area overpressures can be deadly.
The human body contains two principal air-filled spaces -- the lungs and the nasal cavity and attached sinuses. A human subjected to a bomb blast wave instantly has hundreds and perhaps thousands psi of pressure pushing on these cavities. A mere 15 psi above normal is considered the threshold for possible lung injury, so imagine what happens to those near the epicenter of a bomb blast.
The chest caves in. The lungs inside it are compressed violently in on themselves -- so violently that the entire network of pulmonary vessels connecting them to the heart and the rest of the body are sheared off.
When the instant of blast overpressure passes, the lungs suddenly re-expand, like a crushed rubber ball rebounding in the hand of a strong man. But now they are filled with a huge volume of blood, blood that should be flowing to the heart and other parts of the body.
Blood that would normally return to the heart through the left ventrical has now overwhelmed the lungs. No blood in the left ventrical equals no blood in the heart equals no pulmonary output to the body. Blood pressure -- zero. The body is instantly starved.
Up above, in the skull, at the same instant, the overpressure works in another way. The nasal and sinus cavities implode. That part of the skull called the cribiform plate ruptures, snaps and may be thrust upward into the base of the brain.
I thought it might be instructive to all to have a nice little detailed explaination of the effects of overpressure on the human body, and how these bombs actually do their jobs, while keeping collateral damage to a minimum.
Anyone who watched the video of the bombing should note that while Zarqawi's hideout was destroyed, houses surrounding it were left intact, along with any people they might have contained.
Dang! Kinda ruined his day didn't it?
I was actually wondering about why he was still intact in any part of his body, so thanks, and I must say a thoroughly enjoyed reading the gory details.
Thank you for the info!
Yeah, kinda sweet, isn't it!
I love the smell of dead jihadist in the morning.....smells like....VICTORY!
Will chew gum help your lungs pop back out? :)
Thank you Pukin Dog.
er, chewing. (drat!)
Very informative. Thanks.
The DUmmies claim everything since and including 911 is a hoax, so why not this?
Thanks for the post, good info.
Thanks for posting this. I was wondering why he was still intact.
Gee Pukin, you mean the DUmmies may not have a clue?
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DUmmies aren't the only ones without a clue - I had to call a friend who's former special ops to ask how it worked. This article was much more visual in it's explanation though.
Excellent post.
Liberals go to sleep every night praying they'll wake up in 1999.
Wow.
How did you know that?
This is why Daily Kos, DemocraticUnderground, Crooks and Liars, Kerry, Gore, etc....whenever they speak I hope they speak LOUDLY and ROUTINELY.
The more they talk, the more I want them to talk so the rest of the country can hear these nutbags.
I was wondering too. Thanks for the explanation.
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