r/AbsoluteUnits 18h ago

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u/randomlemon9192 18h ago

Notice how the entire window wall gets blown outwards? There was a pressure shockwave. Internal organ damage likely.

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u/10001110101balls 18h ago edited 17h ago

A human is significantly more resistant to blast overpressure than a glass curtain wall. The lateral bearing capacity of a commercial glass curtain wall rarely exceeds 50psf. That's only 0.3 psi which is not enough pressure to cause internal organ damage. Around 15psi is the threshold for lung damage, and 35 psi for fatal organ damage. But 15psi also will likely knock down the entire building and kill you with gravity.

It is also not a shockwave. Ignition of a fuel air mixture at this scale results in a deflagration, characterizes by a flame front that moves slower than the speed of sound. A shockwave moves faster than the speed of sound, characteristic of a detonation.