Institute Lead: Dr. Scott Kukuck

Summary: The goal of this Institute is to deliver a common computational science environment for the integration of software tools necessary to conduct analyses in the pursuit of protection solutions for platforms and personnel against blasts.

Detail: At present, there is no available computational mechanics software tool versatile enough to describe the entirety of all relevant blast effects on a complex structure such as a platform or person. Due to the complex nature of blast effects, most efforts have concentrated upon smaller, tractable components.

BPPPI will focus on a single, fully-integrated, flexible, robust and consistent software toolset capable of providing accurate analyses for the development, maturation, integration, evaluation and sustainment of potential protection solutions. ARL and its partner organizations are rapidly developing and transitioning solutions that result in enhanced survivability for the Warfighter. These developments have only been possible through the use of computational ‘experiments’ that have identified relevant mechanisms, optimized designs, and developed a deeper understanding that eclipses what could be done by physical experiment alone.