Shock Response of Dry and Water-Saturated Soils
Abstract
We conducted planar shock wave experiments to measure the dynamic loading of dry and water-saturated soils provided by the Army Research Laboratory (VIMF, ATC Sand-Clay, ATC DSTS). The complicated response of geologic materials to dynamic compression is of fundamental importance to understanding the energy transmitted to the surface by buried explosives. We measured the shock states induced via planar impact experiments on the Harvard 40-mm gas gun. Shock wave velocities in the soil samples were measured using both VISAR and piezoelectric pins. The soils were composed primarily of quartz with different mass fractions of phyllosilicates and amorphous material. Using initial particle sizes ranging from 150 to 300 microns, the samples were pressed to densities ranging from 1.7 to 1.93 g/cm3 (about 25-30% porous). Water-saturated samples had densities ranging from 2.23 to 2.33 g/cm3. We find that the dry soils have a linear shock velocity-particle velocity relation that is similar to dry quartz sand with the same initial density. The water-saturated samples are less compressible and have much greater scatter in shock velocities. The VISAR measurement records the dispersion around the mean shock state that arises from reflections between grains, and we will compare the VISAR data to meso-scale hydrocode simulations of the experiment. These data will be used to generate more accurate rheological models for hydrocode simulations of the shock response of heterogeneous granular materials in the low-pressure regime (<10 GPa).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 30, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA606495
Entities
People
- Matthew G. Newman
- Richard G. Kraus
- Sarah T. Stewart
Organizations
- Harvard University