With the extensive application of new-type ammunitions and large-caliber heavy artillery, the non-contact killing mode caused by explosive shock is rapidly substituting the original direct-contact killing induced by bullets, fragments, etc. Characterized by high lethality and precision, it poses a greater threat to combatants and equipment. This study focuses on the technology of explosion shock wave detection and evaluation, especially in the field of personal protection. It reviews typical explosion shock wave test environments, such as real-explosion tests and shock-tube tests, and analyzes the pros and cons of electrical and non-electrical test measurement methods. The progress of piezoresistive, piezoelectric, and optical-fiber sensors is discussed. The trend of sensors towards miniaturization and intelligentization is emphasized, and the urgent need for new sensing technologies is proposed. This study also introduces the shock-wave signal processing and over-pressure field reconstruction technologies integrated with artificial intelligence, and investigates the application of new technologies like compressed sensing technology and deep neural network technology. In addition, the overall situation of typical foreign portable explosion shock wave sensing systems are summarized. To enhance the comprehensive protection and emergency treatment capabilities of combatants in extreme environments, the necessity of rapidly developing a portable explosion shock wave detection and evaluation system with independent intellectual property rights is discussed.

In recent years, with the widespread application of various explosive weapons, the number of explosion-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) cases has surged. Current research on explosive blast injuries predominantly focuses on plain environments, while studies on the injury mechanisms, trauma characteristics, and treatment strategies under the special physical and chemical environment of the plateau remain relatively scarce. To investigate the kinematic response of the human head–neck system subjected to blast loading under low-ambient-pressure conditions, this study employed a high-fidelity physical anthropomorphic surrogate instrumented with overpressure transducers, accelerometers, angular-rate sensors, and a six-axis load cell. Experiments were conducted using a shock-tube test system at four ambient-pressure levels, with three blast overpressure magnitudes applied sequentially for each pressure condition. The results show that, under ambient pressures ranging from 54 kPa to 101 kPa, the free-field peak overpressure decreases with decreasing ambient pressure (relative to 101 kPa, the peak overpressure at 54 kPa is reduced by approximately 16.03%). The peak overpressure measured at various locations on the head surface also shows a decreasing trend in the low-pressure range. Meanwhile, translational metrics—such as the peak head center-of-gravity accelerations in the x and z directions and the peak neck forces in the x and z directions—decrease overall with decreasing ambient pressure, whereas rotational metrics such as the peak head center-of-gravity angular velocity in the y direction and the peak neck torque in the y direction—increase overall with decreasing ambient pressure. These findings indicate that, under the present test conditions, low ambient pressure exerts opposite effects on the translational and rotational responses of the head-neck system. The study reveals that the injury quantification assessment method established under normothermic and normobaric conditions exhibits applicability bias in high-altitude (hypobaric) environments. This bias arises because high-altitude (hypobaric) conditions can alter human physiological functions (e.g., hypoxia and hypothermia reduce tissue tolerance). Under identical blast loading conditions, injuries tend to be more severe than those at plain levels. Therefore, the method requires calibration and validation under hypobaric conditions. In summary, this study provides a mechanics-based reference for blast-induced injury research and for evaluating the applicability of injury criteria in plateau (low-ambient-pressure) environments.

Due to the rapid development of military technology, there are more deployments of new arms, high-tech weapons and large-caliber shells in regional and local warfare, contributing to a sharp surge in the incidences of craniocerebral trauma among military personnel due to blast shockwaves. Thus, blast-induced traumatic brain injury at present is considered as one of the most prominent forms of injury on the battlefield. In order to assess the craniocerebral injury of personnel under the effect of the blast shock wave, it is urgent to establish a set of scientific, rational and comprehensive evaluation methods. Using a realistic physical manikin model with Chinese human body size characteristics and a sensing system to carry out three kinds of shock wave intensity shock tube experiments, this study systematically obtained the change process of head surface overpressure, head centroid acceleration and angular velocity as well as neck force and torque of the realistic physical manikin model with time. Based on the short-term and long-term injury effects of the explosion on the human cranium and brain, based on the 3 ms criterion, head injury criterion (HIC), brain injury criteria (BrIC) and neck injury indicators to determine the damage and the degree of damage to the human body to carry out a comprehensive research and judgment. The results showed that under three different strong shockwave environments, the shock wave overpressure duration was less than 5 ms, acceleration and neck force lasted 5–6 ms, and angular velocity and neck torque lasted 50–244 ms; the peak centroid resultant acceleration in the head of the realistic physical manikin model was (54.60±3.69)g, (102.00±1.72)g and (161.50±6.36)g, and the calculated HIC₁₅ showed that the head injury threshold was not reached; according to the combined determination of head surface pressure load and BrIC, the probability of craniocerebral injury increased significantly, and protective measures should be taken to reduce the risk of injury.