Overpressure Overpressure Overpressure (or blast overpressure) is the pressure caused by a shock wave over and above normal atmospheric pressure. The shock wave may be caused by sonic boom or by explosion, and the resulting overpressure receives particular attention when measuring the effects of nuclear weapons or thermobaric bombs. According to an article in the journal Toxicological Sciences, "Blast overpressure (BOP), also known as high energy impulse noise, is a damaging outcome of explosive detonations and firing of weapons. Exposure to BOP shock waves alone results in injury predominantly to the hollow organ systems such as auditory, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems."
Shock tube detonator Shock tube detonator A shock tube detonator is a non-electric explosive fuze or initiator in the form of small-diameter hollow plastic tubing used to transport an initiating signal to an explosive charge by means of a percussive wave traveling the length of the tube. It was invented by Per Anders Persson of Nitro Nobel AB, patented, and sold by them under the registered trademark Nonel, containing a small quantity of high explosive, but safer and more reliable than detonating cord with the same quantity of explosive. Another early product contained an enclosed combusting, non-detonating fiber. The most common product is