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Military Blast Effects Expert System (MBEES) - A Deployable Tool that
Rapidly Calculates the Blast Effects on Structures and Personnel
As
part of the Force Protection Against Enhanced Blast Technology Demonstration
Program (FPAEB TDP), DRDC Suffield has developed the Military Blast Effects
Expert System (MBEES), a software package designed to assist operational commanders
and engineers in the design and improvement of expeditionary field fortifications.
Operating on a standalone laptop computer, MBEES evaluates the blast loading
and structural response of existing field fortifications, while also serving
as a design tool for new structures and camp layouts. MBEES also has the capability
to analyze personal vulnerability to blast.
MBEES prediction (above, with roof removed) compared to field trial results (below) from DRDC Suffield. The software has been developed by TimeScales Scientific Ltd., a Canadian company with personnel having over twenty five years of CFD and blast/explosive experience, and by the Civilian and Military Critical Infrastructure Surety team from ESI (Engineering Services Inc). This strong scientific background has been combined with input from Canadian Military Engineers (end-users) to create a useful and practical tool that fills a void in operational requirements. MBEES is continually being validated through an extensive, livefire, full-scale testing program over the four-year FPAEB TDP.
The results of live-fire, full-scale testing at DRDC Suffield are used to validate MBEES calculations.
MBEES results can show deformation, pressure, impulse, personnal vulnerability, fireball radius and crater depth.
MBEES allows user to build from scratch or to modify structures from a library.
Feedback from deployed engineers identified a requirement for an advisory tool capable of storing force protection lessons learned and construction guidance for expeditionary structures. MBEES delivers this capability in a PDA supportable Microsoft PowerPoint ™ format. The blast calculation results may also be presented and stored in this format. Additionally, the field advisor module can show construction sequences for expeditionary structures.
MBEES is capable of simlutaneously analyzing multiple structures.
Background
As
part of the Force Protection Against Enhanced Blast Technology Demonstration
Program (FPAEB TDP), DRDC Suffield has developed the Military Blast Effects
Expert System (MBEES), a software package designed to assist operational commanders
and engineers in the design and improvement of expeditionary field fortifications.
Operating on a standalone laptop computer, MBEES evaluates the blast loading
and structural response of existing field fortifications, while also serving
as a design tool for new structures and camp layouts. MBEES also has the capability
to analyze personal vulnerability to blast.
MBEES prediction (above, with roof removed) compared to field trial results (below) from DRDC Suffield. The software has been developed by TimeScales Scientific Ltd., a Canadian company with personnel having over twenty five years of CFD and blast/explosive experience, and by the Civilian and Military Critical Infrastructure Surety team from ESI (Engineering Services Inc). This strong scientific background has been combined with input from Canadian Military Engineers (end-users) to create a useful and practical tool that fills a void in operational requirements. MBEES is continually being validated through an extensive, livefire, full-scale testing program over the four-year FPAEB TDP.
The results of live-fire, full-scale testing at DRDC Suffield are used to validate MBEES calculations.
MBEES Scope
MBEES runs in an intuitive, modified AutoCAD environment, remaining user-friendly through the use of straightforward icons and graphics. What sets MBEES apart from existing blast effects calculators is its very short computational time, focus on expeditionary structures, threat database, and the field advisor tool.1. Computational Time:
Thousands of lengthy CFD calculations have been performed during the MBEES development stage, leading to a library of blast data that is rapidly searched (and interpolated) during analysis. This process yields good accuracy in a short calculation timeframe, making MBEES a practical tool for deployed operations.MBEES results can show deformation, pressure, impulse, personnal vulnerability, fireball radius and crater depth.
2. Expeditionary structures:
Compared to programs that require materials and structural data for industrial, commercial, residential and other buildings, MBEES has remained streamlined by focusing solely on those structures built on deployed operations. MBEES allows the user to build structures, or to choose and modify from a library of pre-designed (and validated) structures.3. Explosives and weapons database:
The MBEES threat library is extensive, ranging from bombs and missiles to fuel-tanker sized detonations and 2 kg thermobaric charges. The program also supports user-defined explosive mixtures and charge sizes. Again, the results from this feature are being validated using livefire field trials at DRDC Suffield.MBEES allows user to build from scratch or to modify structures from a library.
4. Field Advisor:
Feedback from deployed engineers identified a requirement for an advisory tool capable of storing force protection lessons learned and construction guidance for expeditionary structures. MBEES delivers this capability in a PDA supportable Microsoft PowerPoint ™ format. The blast calculation results may also be presented and stored in this format. Additionally, the field advisor module can show construction sequences for expeditionary structures.
MBEES is capable of simlutaneously analyzing multiple structures.
