Abstract: The dynamic responses of an explosion vessel with a cylindrical shell and ellipsoidal closures were numerically simulated using ANSYS/LS-DYNA, and the results were compared with those of experiments. The study reveals that the peak pressure on the shell decreases gradually from the center of the cylindrical shell to the ellipsoidal closures with an increased acting duration. The peak attains minimum in the joints of the cylindrical shell and the ellipsoidal closures, then gradually increases again. The maximum strains of the shell decrease away from the explosion center, the minimum value appears in the joints of the cylindrical shell and the ellipsoidal closures and gradually increases, and the maximum compression stress occurs at the biggest curvature.