Beirut Port Explosion: Comparing Blast Modeling with Observed Structural and Nonstructural Damage

Authors

Kevin Mueller, Associate Principal, Thornton Tomasetti

Publication

This article appeared in Journal of Structural Engineering (ASCE), May 2026.

Abstract

This paper presents the application of the Kingery-Bulmash equations and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approaches to model the August 2020 Beirut Port explosion and consequently to predict the structural and nonstructural damage to representative buildings throughout the city. This paper addresses first a field survey of around 150 buildings in Beirut and discusses observed patterns of structural and nonstructural damage.

Further investigation into the extensively observed nonstructural damage is conducted through an assessment of one particular building located near the site of the explosion in which comparisons are drawn between blast modeling estimations and physical observations. The expected and actual damage at select buildings are also compared within the framework established by explosive safety standards for munition storage areas of similar trinitrotoluene (TNT) equivalency such as the United States Department of Defense Explosive Safety Board and the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence. 

This paper lays the groundwork for further investigation into the observed patterns of blast-related structural and façade damage to allow for more accurate modeling of blast events in urban environments and to provide further insight into the correlation between façade damage and blast-related injuries.