Dynamic Behavior of Lungs Subjected to Underwater Explosions

An experimental investigation was performed on an artificial human lung to evaluate its response and behavior after being subjected to an underwater explosive blast. The experiments were performed using a 63 mg TNT equivalent explosive charge placed 0.5 m from the front of the lung. The specimen used was a to-scale lung model representative of a 50th-percentile male. The experiments were performed on an 8200 l water tank. The artificial lung was instrumented with internal pressure sensors to record changes in the cavity pressure. Additionally, the underwater tank was instrumented with underwater blast transducers to measure the pressure from the explosive charge. Results show a significantly delayed response to the underwater blast due to the lung’s inertia. The lung initially contracts after the underwater shock, followed by an expansion showing a 50% change in relative volume within 7 ms. Results and observations qualitatively relate to the types of injuries observed during preexisting case studies.