CAVITIES AND WAVES FROM EXPLOSIONS IN SHALLOW WATER
Abstract
Photographic data for the cavities and surface waves generated by explosions in shallow water are described. The data were obtained in a slender wedge-shaped tank of water having one transparent sidewell. Ideally the tests would be equivalent to those for a 1-lb sphere of TNT exploded in a shallow test pond with a vertical axis of symmetry. The cavities and waves generated in the wedge tank did correspond roughly with such data, but there were differences in detail caused by the sidewalls of the wedge tank and the ceiling over it. The wedge tank data indicate that the horizontal radius of the expanded cavity is nearly independent of the water depth, even when the water depth is less than one-third the cavity radius. The wave trains are nearly independent of the water depth until the depth is less than three-fourths the cavity radius, after which the wave heights begin to decrease in proportion to the water depth. The cavities and waves were hardly affected when the hard bottom of the tank was replaced by sand, even when the water was shallow. A surf zone was created in the wedge-tank when the bottom was contoured, so that the waves shoaled. The measured wave trains corresponded reasonably well with those predicted by the theory of Kranzer and Keller for an initially motionless cavity. The calculated wave trains were based on the procedure developed by Whalin, on the measured cavity dimensions, and on two empirical factors.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0700695
Entities
People
- A. R. Kriebel