Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Surface Explosion Induced Crater Formation Using a Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian Approach

Abstract

Ground contact explosions cause limited deformation and crater formation, an issue critical for forensic explosion analysis and blast-resistant structural design. In this study, a multiscale numerical model based on the Coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) method was developed in Abaqus/Explicit to model craters formed by contact explosions on the ground. The model was calibrated using controlled field tests on low-plasticity clay-silt (CL) soil with 1, 2, and 3 kg of TNT equivalent and validated using a vehicle-induced explosion in Elazığ in 2016 with approximately 2 tons of TNT equivalent. Soil behavior was defined using the Mohr–Coulomb plasticity model and explosive behavior using the Jones–Wilkins–Lee (JWL) state equation. Crater diameter, depth, depth/diameter ratio, and blast index were evaluated across three orders of explosive mass. Numerical results were consistent with field measurements; error rates were below 5% for small-scale and below 8% for large-scale explosions. As the explosive mass increases, craters become wider and deeper. The CEL-based approach provides a reliable tool for forensic explosion analysis and the evaluation of ground behavior under extreme loading.