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Day
6
Season Six Research Files
Episode Five
10:00am - 11:00am
The shock wave is a layer of high density air that expands out from the blast very rapidly. There is an abrupt rise in pressure, temperature and density at the front and then followed by a blast of wind. The velocity of the wind reaches its maximum just behind the shock front and steadily decreases in the wake of the shock wave. Objects caught in the shock wave’s path experience an over-pressure. There is also a drag force from the blast of wind. The blast of air causes structural damage resulting from crushing, collapse, bending, breaking or rollover. The shock wave is responsible for most of the material damage caused by a nuclear explosion.
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