Explosive decompression (ED) is a sudden drop in pressure that occurs in 0.1 seconds or less. For example, rubbergaskets used to seal pressurised vessels and pipelines tend to become saturated with high-pressure gases. If the pressure inside the vessel is released too rapidly, the gases within the rubber gasket expand violently, causing blistering or explosion of the material. For this reason, it is common for military and industrial equipment to be subjected to an explosive decompression test before it is certified as safe for use.
In extreme cases, explosive decompression may also occur when an aircraft or spacecraft cabin is suddenly ruptured. However, the pressure drop in this situation often takes longer than 0.1 second, and is then more accurately described as rapid decompression.
National and international standards for explosive decompression testing include:
Explosivedecompression ( ED) refers to a sudden marked drop in the pressure of a system that occurs in less than 0.1 seconds, associated with explosive violence.
Seals in high pressure vessels are also susceptible to explosivedecompression; the rubber gaskets used to seal pressurised pipelines tend to become saturated with high-pressure gases.
Well known examples of explosivedecompression are the Byford Dolphin diving bell accident and the Turkish Airlines Flight 981 disaster.
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