The National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation (NFPBS) is a collaboration of eight Australian universities and the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC) through the ARC-LIEF Grants Scheme.
The establishment of a NFPBS in Australia adds new capabilities for systematic and efficient experimental studies towards the development of high-performance blast protection technologies. The NFPBS overcomes challenges associated with live explosive testing i.e. very high cost, safety, efficiency and repeatability of test results, as well as difficult scheduling due to weather conditions. The facility provides for routine high-quality blast experiments to develop concepts of protecting infrastructure, including individual components such as windows, doors, columns, wall panels, to system models such as bridges, dams, tunnels and buildings, and to models of city or urban environment.
Advanced Blast Simulator
The Advanced Blast Simulator design selected for the NFPBS facility replicates the wave-dynamics of an actual free-field explosive blast. The Advanced Blast Simulator is located at the Research Facility of the Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences, University of Wollongong (UOW) in Russell Vale. The NFPBS Blast Simulator is the largest facility available for R&D and commercial testing in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere. It is involved in testing programs in support of academic, industry and government research and blast-resistant product certification.
The National Facility for Physical Blast Simulation (NFPBS) officially launched in December, 2018.
