ConWep Software: The Ultimate Tool for Engineers Dealing with Blast Effects

Conwep Software Download 33: A Guide for Engineers

If you are an engineer who deals with protective design, blast effects, or conventional weapons, you might have heard of Conwep software. Conwep software is a collection of conventional weapons effects calculations based on the equations and curves of TM 5-855-1, "Design and Analysis of Hardened Structures to Conventional Weapons Effects". It can help you evaluate the vulnerability of structures, barriers, components, and humans to various types of explosives and weapons.

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In this article, we will explain what Conwep software is, what features it has, what applications it has, how to download it, and how to use it. By the end of this article, you will have a clear understanding of Conwep software and how it can benefit your engineering projects.

What is Conwep Software?

Conwep software is a Windows-based program developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Protective Design Center (PDC). It is based on the equations and curves of TM 5-855-1, which was published in 1986 as a manual for designing and analyzing hardened structures to conventional weapons effects. Conwep software allows users to perform calculations of various blast effects, such as shock wave pressure, confined detonation products pressure, venting, fragment penetration depths, concrete wall breaching, projectile penetration into rock and soil, cratering, and ground shock.

Conwep software is intended for engineers who are involved in protective design, blast effects analysis, vulnerability assessment, or conventional weapons effects research. It can be used for both military and civilian applications, such as designing blast-resistant buildings, assessing the damage potential of terrorist attacks, evaluating the performance of protective barriers or systems, or studying the impact of explosives on humans or structures.

Conwep Software Features

Conwep software has several features that make it a useful tool for engineers. Some of these features are:

• It covers a wide range of explosives and weapons types, such as TNT, RDX, C4, ANFO, nuclear weapons, artillery shells, rockets, bombs, grenades, mines, etc.

• It allows users to select different target types and geometries, such as walls, slabs, columns, beams, cylinders, spheres, hemispheres, cones, etc.

• It provides graphical and tabular outputs of the calculated blast effects for easy interpretation and comparison.

• It includes a database of empirical data and curves from TM 5-855-1 and other sources for reference and validation.

• It has a user-friendly interface that allows users to input parameters easily and modify them as needed.

• It has a help system that provides detailed explanations of the equations and curves used in the calculations.

Conwep Software Applications

Conwep software has many applications in different engineering fields and scenarios. Some of these applications are:

• Designing blast-resistant buildings or facilities that need to withstand conventional weapons attacks or accidental explosions.

• Assessing the vulnerability of existing structures or components to blast effects or fragment penetration.

• Evaluating the performance or effectiveness of protective barriers or systems against different types of explosives or weapons.

• Estimating the human injury or fatality risk from structural damage or blast-induced responses.

• Studying the physics or mechanics of blast phenomena or conventional weapons effects.

How to Download Conwep Software?

If you are interested in downloading Conwep software for your engineering projects, you need to follow some steps and meet some requirements. Here are the details:

Requirements for Conwep Software

To download and run Conwep software on your computer, you need to have:

• A Windows operating system (Windows XP or later).

• A certificate of networthiness (CoN) from the PDC. This is a document that certifies that the software meets the security standards and requirements of the Department of Defense (DoD).

• An approval from the PDC. This is a process that verifies your identity and eligibility to access and use the software. You need to be a U.S. citizen or a foreign national authorized by your embassy or office of defense cooperation.

Steps to Download Conwep Software

To download Conwep software from the PDC website , you need to follow these steps:

• Go to https://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/About/Centers-of-Expertise/Protective-Design-Center/PDC-Software/ . This is the official website of the PDC where you can find information about their software packages.

• Scroll down to find ConWep under "PDC Software". Click on "Download" next to it.

• You will be redirected to a page where you need to choose whether you are a CAC user or a non-CAC user. A CAC user is someone who has a Common Access Card issued by the DoD. A non-CAC user is someone who does not have a CAC card.

• If you are a CAC user: You need to register at Intelink website , which is a secure platform for sharing information among intelligence agencies. You need to provide your CAC card information and personal details. After registration, you will receive an email with a link to access Intelink website. You need to click on that link and log in with your CAC card credentials. Then you will be able to access the PDC SharePoint site , where you can find ConWep software under "Software Downloads". You need to click on "Download" next to it and save it on your computer.

• If you are a non-CAC user: You need to send an email request to PDC.Web@usace.army.mil . You need to provide your name, email address, phone number, organization name, organization address, purpose for using ConWep software, and CoN number (if applicable). After sending your request, you will receive an email with an approval or denial from the PDC. If approved, you will receive another email with a link to download ConWep software. You need to click on that link and save it on your computer.

How to Use ConWep Software?

After downloading ConWep software on your computer, you need to install it by following the instructions on the screen. Then you can start using it for your engineering calculations. Here are some tips on how to use ConWep software:

ConWep Software Interface

The main interface of ConWep software consists of four parts:

• The menu bar: This is where you can access different options, such as file, edit, view, help, etc.

• The toolbar: This is where you can access different tools, such as new, open, save, print, etc.

• The input panel: This is where you can input parameters for your calculations, such as explosive type, weight, standoff distance, target type, geometry, etc.

• The output panel: This is where you can view graphical or tabular outputs of your calculations, such as pressure-time curves, fragment penetration depths, crater dimensions, etc.

ConWep Software Calculations

To perform calculations using ConWep software, you need to follow these steps:

• Select an explosive type from the drop-down list in the input panel. You can choose from different types of high explosives or nuclear weapons.

• Enter an explosive weight in kilograms in the input panel. You can also use a slider bar to adjust the weight value.

• Select a target type from the drop-down list in the input panel. You can choose from different types of structures, barriers, components, or humans.

• Enter or select target geometry parameters in the input panel. You can choose from different shapes and dimensions, such as length, width, height, radius, thickness, etc.

• Click on "Calculate" button in the toolbar. The software will perform the calculations and display the results in the output panel.

• You can view the results in graphical or tabular formats by clicking on "Graph" or "Table" buttons in the toolbar. You can also zoom in or out, pan, or print the graphs or tables by using the buttons in the output panel.

• You can save your input parameters and output results as a file by clicking on "Save" button in the toolbar. You can also open a previously saved file by clicking on "Open" button in the toolbar.

ConWep Software Examples

To illustrate how to use ConWep software, here are some examples of calculations for different scenarios:

Example 1: Blast load on a concrete wall

In this example, we want to calculate the blast load on a concrete wall due to a 100 kg TNT explosion at a standoff distance of 10 m. The wall has a length of 5 m, a height of 3 m, and a thickness of 0.2 m. We assume that the wall is fully reflected and has no openings. Here are the steps to perform this calculation using ConWep software:

• Select "TNT" as the explosive type from the drop-down list in the input panel.

• Enter "100" as the explosive weight in kilograms in the input panel.

• Select "Wall" as the target type from the drop-down list in the input panel.

• Enter "5" as the length in meters, "3" as the height in meters, and "0.2" as the thickness in meters in the input panel.

• Enter "10" as the standoff distance in meters in the input panel.

• Click on "Calculate" button in the toolbar. The software will perform the calculation and display the result in the output panel.

• Click on "Graph" button in the toolbar to view the pressure-time curve for the blast load on the wall. The graph shows that the peak pressure is about 1.6 MPa and the positive phase duration is about 6 ms.

• Click on "Table" button in the toolbar to view the tabular output for the blast load on the wall. The table shows the same values as the graph, as well as the impulse, the reflected angle, and the incident angle.

Example 2: Fragment penetration into steel plate

In this example, we want to calculate the fragment penetration depth into a steel plate due to a 155 mm artillery shell explosion at a standoff distance of 50 m. The plate has a thickness of 10 mm and a density of 7800 kg/m3. We assume that the fragment has a mass of 10 g, a velocity of 1500 m/s, and a nose shape factor of 1.2. Here are the steps to perform this calculation using ConWep software:

• Select "Artillery Shell" as the explosive type from the drop-down list in the input panel.

• Enter "155" as the caliber in millimeters in the input panel.

• Select "Plate" as the target type from the drop-down list in the input panel.

• Enter "10" as the thickness in millimeters and "7800" as the density in kg/m3 in the input panel.

• Enter "50" as the standoff distance in meters in the input panel.

• Enter "10" as the fragment mass in grams, "1500" as the fragment velocity in m/s, and "1.2" as the nose shape factor in the input panel.

• Click on "Calculate" button in the toolbar. The software will perform the calculation and display the result in the output panel.

• Click on "Table" button in the toolbar to view the tabular output for the fragment penetration depth into steel plate. the fragment penetration depth is about 7.6 mm, which means that the fragment can penetrate the steel plate.

Example 3: Cratering due to a bomb explosion

In this example, we want to calculate the crater dimensions due to a 500 kg bomb explosion at a depth of 2 m in soil. The soil has a density of 1800 kg/m3 and a shear strength of 50 kPa. We assume that the bomb has a TNT equivalence of 1.2. Here are the steps to perform this calculation using ConWep software:

• Select "Bomb" as the explosive type from the drop-down list in the input panel.

• Enter "500" as the explosive weight in kilograms and "1.2" as the TNT equivalence in the input panel.

• Select "Crater" as the target type from the drop-down list in the input panel.

• Enter "1800" as the soil density in kg/m3 and "50" as the soil shear strength in kPa in the input panel.

• Enter "2" as the depth of burst in meters in the input panel.

• Click on "Calculate" button in the toolbar. The software will perform the calculation and display the result in the output panel.

• Click on "Table" button in the toolbar to view the tabular output for the crater dimensions. The table shows that the crater has a diameter of about 13.8 m, a depth of about 4.6 m, and a volume of about 230 m3.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explained what ConWep software is, what features it has, what applications it has, how to download it, and how to use it. We have also provided some examples of calculations for different scenarios using ConWep software.

Summary of the Article

Here are the main points of this article:

• ConWep software is a collection of conventional weapons effects calculations based on TM 5-855-1.

• ConWep software can help engineers evaluate the vulnerability of structures, barriers, components, and humans to various types of explosives and weapons.

• ConWep software covers a wide range of explosives and weapons types, target types and geometries, and blast effects.

• ConWep software provides graphical and tabular outputs of the calculated blast effects for easy interpretation and comparison.

• To download ConWep software, you need to have a Windows operating system, a certificate of networthiness, and an approval from the PDC.

• To use ConWep software, you need to select an explosive type and weight, a target type and geometry, and a standoff distance. Then you can view the results in graphical or tabular formats.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about ConWep software:

• Q: How accurate is ConWep software?

• A: ConWep software is based on empirical data and curves from TM 5-855-1 and other sources. It is not intended to provide exact solutions for every scenario, but rather to provide reasonable estimates for engineering purposes. The accuracy of ConWep software depends on several factors, such as input parameters, output variables, explosive type, target type, etc. Therefore, users should always validate their results with other methods or sources before making any design decisions or conclusions.

• Q: How can I get help or support for ConWep software?

• A: If you have any questions or issues regarding ConWep software, you can contact the PDC by email at PDC.Web@usace.army.mil or by phone at (402) 995-2717. You can also access the help system within ConWep software by clicking on "Help" button in the menu bar. The help system provides detailed explanations of the equations and curves used in the calculations, as well as examples and references.

• Q: How can I update or upgrade ConWep software?

• A: The PDC periodically releases new versions or updates of ConWep software with improved features or bug fixes. You can check the PDC website for any announcements or notifications regarding ConWep software updates or upgrades. You can also contact the PDC by email or phone to request the latest version of ConWep software.

• Q: How can I provide feedback or suggestions for ConWep software?

• A: The PDC welcomes any feedback or suggestions from users regarding ConWep software. You can provide your feedback or suggestions by email at PDC.Web@usace.army.mil or by phone at (402) 995-2717. Your feedback or suggestions will help the PDC improve the quality and functionality of ConWep software.