Now for the Physics behind Blast Resistance...
The primary cause of glazing damage is the shock wave that expands in
all directions from the explosive charge. A secondary cause of damage is
debris. The two main sources of debris are the intentional missiles in the
composition of the weapon and fragments from the surrounding
environment. To resist the damaging effects of an attach, window system
must be able to withstand these two specific assaults.
Peak pressure
An enormous amount of energy is released when a bomb is detonated.
After the detonation occurs, a shock wave travels out from the point of
detonation. This shock wave instantaneously increases the pressure as it
radiates out from the bomb and promptly begins to decay. The initial
impact of the shock against a static object creates a huge pressure against
that static object known as Peak Pressure and this is measured in Psi.
Impulse (positive duration phase)
The shock wave immediately starts to decay as soon as it hits. The rate
and duration of decay however is very significant. A fast rate of decay is
associated with commercial and military explosives. (TNT has a very fast
rate of combustion). A slow rate of decay is associated more with a gas
explosion. (Gas has a slower rate of combustion). This decay from peak
pressure back down to ambient pressure is known as the Impulse and is
measured in Psi/msec. The graph overleaf details how it is measured.
(The area under the curve from peak pressure to where pressure =
ambient pressure (Zero).
It should also be noted that peak and impulse values are not only affected
by the size and type of charge, but also the distance from the explosion
that both of the above are being measured.