Numerical simulation of the PABLO-I near-field blast experiment using CTH and Viper Blast
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The PABLO experimental test series provides high-quality data for the validation of numerical methods used in near-field blast loading of structures. One of these trials, PABLO-I, involved a reinforced concrete structure with a single fenestration opening exposed to a cylindrical explosive charge strictly in the near field. The opening was fitted with a blast-resistant laminated glass panel designed to fail, permitting pressure ingress into the internal volume. Although the primary objective of the test was the calibration of explosive JWL parameters, the experiment also provides a valuable benchmark for the validation of high-fidelity blast simulation tools. In this study, the PABLO-I experiment is simulated using two Eulerian shock-physics solvers: CTH (v12.0) [1], developed at Sandia National Laboratories, and Viper Blast [2], a modern high-resolution solver designed to exploit GPU acceleration. The experimental instrumentation comprised multiple external incident pressure gauges, reflected pressure gauges on the exterior façade, and internal gauges measuring both incident and reflected pressures. Numerical predictions of pressure–time histories and impulse are compared against experimental measurements at all gauge locations. Agreement is assessed in terms of peak overpressure, impulse, and waveform characteristics, and differences in numerical behaviour between the solvers are discussed. Finally, computational performance is evaluated through a comparison of wall-clock runtimes, highlighting the implications of GPU-accelerated blast simulation for large-scale and parametric studies.
