Andrew Barr
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andrewbarr.bsky.social
Andrew Barr
@andrewbarr.bsky.social
Research Fellow @sheffielduni.bsky.social • 💥 Explosions , 〰️ stress waves, and 🏗 geotechnics • 🚴 Active travel fan • 🥔 Made in Northern Ireland
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Hi, I'm Andrew. I research blast loading and dynamic material behaviour, enabling the development of effective systems to protect lives and infrastructure. (I blow stuff up to stop stuff blowing up.) 💥
It seems Scotland's Chapter 8 chevrons permit a delicious local variation...
we have reached peak car
August 10, 2025 at 11:07 AM
Someone at the BBC is about to realise they've mistranslated 10cwt and 20cwt as 10 tonne and 20 tonne - these are ~450kg and ~900kg bombs! Still, that's about one and a half tonnes of actual explosive to deal with in a dense urban area.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #cologne
Cologne evacuates thousands so WW2 bombs can be diffused
The German city cordons off a huge area, calling it the largest evacuation since the end of World War Two.
www.bbc.co.uk
June 4, 2025 at 10:45 AM
Comparisons will inevitably be made with the collapse of the Key Bridge in Baltimore last year. If you're wondering why the Brooklyn Bridge seems to have gotten off lightly, structurally this is like being clipped by a car's wing mirror instead of directly hit by a bus.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Two dead as Mexican Navy ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge
At least 19 people are injured after the towering masts of training sailboat clip New York City's famous bridge.
www.bbc.com
May 18, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Reposted by Andrew Barr
The fantastic cartographer @MtnMapper made this physical map of the North Pole region available for free. Source: shadedrelief.com/arctic
May 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
You know a machine is fun when it gets its own lab and a big interlocked cage. Testing this week at @sheffunieng.bsky.social's Thermomechanical Compression (TMC) facility: 500kN at up to 1200C!
February 7, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Andrew Barr
This is a great study on the history and techniques of Hong Kong’s bamboo scaffolding. multimedia.scmp.com/infographics...

Via things magazine
January 16, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Shout out to @sky-follower-bridge.dev, I've just filled my timeline with lots of the best people from the other place with a few clicks. 🤩
January 14, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Hi, I'm Andrew. I research blast loading and dynamic material behaviour, enabling the development of effective systems to protect lives and infrastructure. (I blow stuff up to stop stuff blowing up.) 💥
January 7, 2025 at 4:50 PM
How do you dispose of a huge WW2 bomb in the middle of a town while keeping everyone safe? Sand!
The discovery of a 250kg bomb in #GreatYarmouth provided a great example of how the Army responds to these threats. 🧵
January 7, 2025 at 2:35 PM