Rock Mechanics - Shock Wave Attenuation in Elastic and Anelastic Rock Media

Shock wave attenuation studies with three igneous rocks are reported: a spessartite elastic to low intensity stress waves, a diorite which is anelastic, and a porous scoria. The level of shock passing through a given thickness of rock has been determined by donor-receptor methods using high speed streak cameras. Test results include shock propagation velocities adjacent to the explosive, the dependence of test results upon test geometry, and the variation in shock wave attenuation in these three common igneous rock fabrics. The utilization of explosives in rock mediums involves a series of interrelated phenomena. These are the detonation process within the explosive, the transfer of energy from the explosion products to the surrounding rock medium in the form of sound or shock waves, and the transmission of the resulting waves through the rock medium to create damage in the rock mass. The subject of this paper is the investigation of the close-in phenomena that occur in the intensely shocked rock immediately adjacent to a detonating explosive charge. The specific aspects studied include propagation velocities, free surface velocities, pulse attenuations and the determination of the equations of state for the test rocks employed. In addition, a series of tests was conducted to indicate the dependence of the test results on the charge diameter utilized. The equations of state for rock materials have been investigated by a number of authors. Lombard, ',' Grine and Fowles,3,4 Zharkov, 5 Hughes and McQueen,6 Chabai,7,8 and Bass9 have published equation of state data on rock materials similar in structure or composition to those investigated in the study. Rinehart10 has prepared a voluminous tabulation of the available equation of state data from these publications and in addition has included data on many other rock and earth materials in his compilation. The reader is referred to the extensive tabulations and bibliography of Rinehart for classical studies involving the equations of state of metals and other solids and liquids. The problems of sympathetic detonation between drill holes in hard rock environments has received the attention of various authors as have the problems of explosive rock coupling close-in stress wave attenuation and explosive diameter effects. 11 to 18 In particular, the don or-receptor geometry of this report is very similar to the geometry of adjacent drill holes in rock. Most published pulse velocity and attenuation work in rock has been devoted to velocities at much lower amplitudes than those associated with close-in explosives phenomena and most attenuation studies involve transmission and attenuation across large spans of material. Excellent work in these areas has been published by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and by many individuals and groups engaged in geophysical research. SELECTION OF TEST MATERIALS A series of rock materials was desired for this test program that would be meaningful industrially, and that would also yield comparative results from a research viewpoint. Based on the availability of a series of related petro-fabrics, for which there is an abundance of physical and shock response data, three igneous rocks were selected as the test series. The applicability of shock wave studies in igneous rocks to industrial problems is readily demonstrated. Hardrock tunneling, quarrying and mining take place in igneous rocks throughout the world. From a research point of view, igneous rocks exhibit a wide variety of grain sizes and considerable diversity in composition, yet the common igneous rocks have a general similarity in their constituent mineral structures and in their grain-to-grain bonding mechanisms. The latter is based on the concept of rock formation through magma cooling and crystallization, though the degree of liquefaction in granitic plutonic masses is indeed a moot question. Three specific types of igneous rock were chosen for study. A coarse-grained granitic textured rock was desired that would serve as a representative of the widely abundant intrusive rocks of the world and