New 3D blast simulation software makes WWII bomb disposal safer

German researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics, Ernst-Mach-Institut (EMI), in collaboration with virtualcitysystems GmbH and the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of the Interior, have developed advanced 3D blast simulation software to improve the safety of WWII unexploded bomb disposal. The software, an extension of the existing VC BlastProtect tool, models not only aboveground blast waves and bomb fragment trajectories but also simulates underground shock wave propagation and fragmentation influenced by different damping measures such as sand or water coverings. This innovation aims to reduce evacuation zones and better predict risks to people, buildings, and subterranean infrastructure like subway tunnels and basements. The project addresses the complex challenge of accurately simulating blast effects in variable soil types, which behave differently under explosive energy due to their composition of sand, water, and air. Researchers conducted dynamic laboratory tests and a large-scale field validation involving detonations of buried 500-pound bombs under various coverings at a former East German Army site