# Experimental and Numerical Studies on Ground Shock Generated by Large Equivalent Surface Explosions  
[PERSON]  
1 State Key Laboratory of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation of Explosion & Impact,  
Army Engineering University of PLA, Nanjing 210007, China 1  
[PERSON]  
2 Engineering Research Center of Safety and Protection of Explosion & Impact of Ministry of Education,  
Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China 2  
[PERSON]  
3 Institute of Architectural Engineering, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian 463000, China 3  
[PERSON]  
2 Engineering Research Center of Safety and Protection of Explosion & Impact of Ministry of Education,  
Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China 2  
[PERSON]  
4 Unit 92295 of PLA, Zhanjiang 524005, China 4  
[PERSON]  
1 State Key Laboratory of Disaster Prevention & Mitigation of Explosion & Impact,  
Army Engineering University of PLA, Nanjing 210007, China 1  
Footnote 1: [[https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci](https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci)]([https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci](https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci))  
Footnote 2: [[https://www.mdpi.com/journals/article/pdf/](https://www.mdpi.com/journals/article/pdf/)]([https://www.mdpi.com/journals/article/pdf/](https://www.mdpi.com/journals/article/pdf/))  
model. The deformation responses computed by this method were found to agree well with finite element computations and experimental data. [PERSON] et al. [13] conducted experimental studies on shallow-buried RC structures subjected to blast loads and found that the responses of the buried RC structures to impulsive loads and long-duration loads are quite different. [PERSON] et al. [14] modeled the effects of surface explosions on buried RC structures by creating a model of the explosive charge and surrounding soil region using the Abaqus/Explicit finite element analysis package, which accounts for the sliding, separation, and rebound between the surface of the buried structure and the surrounding soil. This model was able to realistically simulate the responses of buried structures to explosive loads. Researchers have become increasingly interested in the response of surface structures to ground shock. For instance, [PERSON] et al. [15; 16], used the Autodyn 2D program to simulate the ground shock and air blast produced by contact explosions on a rocky surface and obtained empirical expressions in analytical form that were readily applicable for structural response analysis to surface explosions. [PERSON] et al. [17] proposed a numerical method to describe the various structural effects of surface explosions, which established that the critical structural damage caused by typical surface explosions was dominated by air shock loading. Conversely, ground shocks only induced small additional vibrations that had marginal effect on the structure. [PERSON] et al. [18] conducted a theoretical and numerical study on the rocking, flying, and overturning responses of rigid structures to ground shocks, and consequently derived the stability region of rigid structures. They also paid special attention to cases where the vertical ground shock exceeded 1.0 g, which caused the rigid structure to fly into the air, and discussed the effects of ground shocks on the stability of rigid structures. A number of large equivalent explosions have occurred in recent memory, including the car bomb attacks on the Oklahoma City Federal Building in 1995 with 2177 kg ANFO at a distance 3.0 m from the structure [19], the 2016 \"8.12\" Tianjin explosions [20], the 2019 \"3.21\" Xiangshui chemical plant explosion [21], and the 2020 Beirut explosion [22; 23], which had a TNT equivalent of 1.79, 500, 340, and >1000 t, respectively. In particular, the TNT equivalent of the Beirut explosion was equivalent to that of a low-weight nuclear bomb. These massive explosions severely damaged structures and infrastructure, and the consequent ground shocks further exacerbated the resulting structural damage.