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Published on: 6/16/2007
Last Visited: 11/24/2007
Vice president Jim Butler said a concrete block wall treated with a similar material withstood a 180-psi explosion in tests for the U.S. Department of Defense in 2003.An untreated wall failed.
The way Butler explains it, BlastSeal works by adding high tensile strength carbon fiber sheets to the side of a wall opposite the source of an explosion.When the blast hits, the material, which is 10 times stronger than steel, deflects the blast, preventing the wall from blowing apart or over.Then it dissipates the energy by moving back and forth much like a plucked guitar string.
In the DOD test, the treated wall survived the blast, then shifted no more than 2 inches as it oscillated, Butler said.
One sticking point might be whether BlastSeal adheres to foam block material.
Butler knows it sticks to concrete and wood, but he says the material's adhesive strength might not be enough to harden a foam wall sufficiently.
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