What is overpressure and how does it actually work(in the context of tanks and high explosive shells)
In: Engineering
A lot of the danger from large explosions is actually from the shockwave of the explosion. The sudden expansion caused by the explosive causes a sudden sharp increase in air pressure. This is overpressure – the “over” refers to higher than the normal atmospheric pressure.
Overpressure is responsible for things like glass shattering, doors blowing open and so on. Very large explosions can cause buildings to fall down simply from the sudden pressure wave moving through the air.
In the context of tanks, overpressure is a problem where a round fails to penetrate the tank, but the explosion nevertheless causes higher than normal air pressure inside the tank from the shockwave of the explosion. This can damage the tanks or the squishy parts of the people inside.
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