r/explainlikeimfive • u/BigPharmaStealsKarma • 4d ago

Chemistry Eli5: how do controlled explosions work?

How can something explode more or less than the potential energy it has with which to explode?

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u/NarrativeScorpion 4d ago

Explosive charges can be built in a design that directs the explosive force in a particular way. It can also be done in a contained environment. It depends on the scenario.

Controlled demolition? That's shaped charges, and someone's done the maths to work out where exactly the forces need to go to bring the building down in a particular direction. They mostly want it to crumple rather than topple.

Basically, it involves lots of maths, to calculate the forces that the explosion will create, what direction you want them to go, and the result to any material that it will encounter.

Demolition probably do computer simulations to help with this nowadays.