A blast pressure front encountering a significantly different temperature layer may cause what?

When a blast pressure front encounters a layer of significantly different temperature, it tends to bend or refract rather than continue on its original path. This phenomenon occurs due to the change in density and speed of the wave as it moves from one medium with a specific temperature to another with a significantly different one.

The temperature difference creates variations in pressure that affect the energy and velocity of the wave front. As the wave interacts with different layers, its trajectory changes, causing it to bend. This bending can influence how the pressure is distributed and how the blast wave behaves as it travels through various environments.

In the context of fire investigations, understanding how blast pressure fronts behave when encountering these different layers is crucial for accurately assessing the incident scene and determining the dynamics of the explosion.