RAPID: Investigation of the Blast Loading for the Fertilizer Plant Explosion at West, Texas

University Of North Texas, Denton TX

Investigators

Abstract

A severe explosion in a fertilizer plant occurred in the small town of West, Texas on April 17, 2013. The explosion devastated the populated neighborhood surrounding the plant. About 150 buildings were damaged or destroyed as a result of this explosion. Most of the buildings were single family residences; though two schools, a two-story apartment building, and a nursing home building were part of the buildings that sustained severe damage. This sudden occurrence of industrial explosion provides an opportunity to document performance of buildings to blast loading. The documentation effort will obtain on-site technical data of damage, construction, and materials of buildings and variation of damage from the epicenter of the blast. The data will include on-site, aerial and satellite photographs and observations. In addition, current blast loading requirements will be reviewed and recorded for comparison with collected data. The field data will be collected before the damaged area is cleaned and the debris is removed. These data will be analyzed and organized for later use by the investigator to understand blast loads and response of buildings. The investigator plans to prepare a poster for a science museum in Dallas and make presentation at a professional meeting.