Pavement Cratering Studies

Abstract

The objectives of this research effort were twofold: (1) to define the damage to airfield pavement systems caused by a wide range of C-4 charges and bombs when detonated at various depths below the pavement surface (i.e., determine the extent of damage expected from these explosives), and (2) to investigate the feasibility of scaling pavement systems and explosives in order to more economically study cratering effects on different pavement systems. The first objective was implemented by a series of tests using 5-, 15-, and 25-lb C- 4 charges placed at various depths under pavement surfaces in two abandoned airfields (Fort Sumner and Hays) and three sizes of bombs at the Hays test site. Damage such as the repair volumes, true crater depths, etc., were plotted as a function of charge size and depth-of-burst. Three types of craters were found: (1) shallow depth-of-burst craters of hemispherical shape, (2) deep depth-of- burst craters with no apparent crater and little ejecta, and (3) intermediate depth-of-burst craters exhibiting some of the characteristics of both the shallow and the deep craters. The crater dimensions from Fort Sumner (sandy silt subgrade) were, in general, smaller than those from Hays (clay subgrade) for all C-4 charges. A similitude analysis was conducted using the test data from all C- 4 charges (Hays) to ascertain if a scaling factor or a distortion factor could be determined.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1972
Accession Number
AD0907152

Entities

People

  • Asbjorn Kvammen Jr.
  • James L. Dick Jr.
  • Raman Pichumani

Organizations

  • University of New Mexico

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Engineering
  • Construction
  • Deep Depth
  • Excavation
  • Explosions
  • Explosives
  • Field Tests
  • General Purpose Bombs
  • Materials
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Mechanics
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Research Facilities
  • Sites
  • Tensile Strength
  • Test And Evaluation

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Pavement Materials Engineering.
  • Wetland-Land-Environmental Management.