Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

A study of explosive-induced fracture in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0160147· OSTI ID:2007256
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM (United States)
  2. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
  3. Sandia National Laboratory (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  4. New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

The fracture response of geologic materials is of interest for applications, including geothermal energy harnessing and containment of underground explosions. To better understand the explosively induced fracture response of geomaterials, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was used as a transparent rock surrogate to allow imaging of internal shock propagation and fracture growth processes. Experiments were conducted using high-speed shadowgraphy and photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV), which were compared to numerical simulations. Experiments measured fractures produced in 304.8mm × 304.8mm × 304.8mm PMMA cubes with two simultaneously initiated detonators. The cubes were subjected to varying amounts and directions of externally applied uniaxial stresses, including no stress, 2 MPa stress, and 20 MPa stress. The fracture radius as a function of time was extracted from the high-speed videos. Post-test images of the PMMA cubes aided in the determination of three-dimensional effects not directly imaged by the cameras. The surface velocity history and the shock response captured in PDV and the high-speed videos were compared to the simulated explosive-induced shock response. The simulation results indicate that the shock drives the fracture for the first 20 μs corresponding to a fracture radius of approximately 15 mm in the experiments. The gas-driven fracture extent was estimated analytically using an equilibrium stress distribution calculated after the shock wave propagation through the sample. Reduction in the gas pressure due to the leakage of the explosive products through the crack as a function of time was accounted for. In conclusion, the estimated fracture lengths were in agreement with the experimentally observed fracture lengths.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); US Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344; NA0003988; NA0003525
OSTI ID:
2007256
Report Number(s):
LLNL--JRNL-852380; 1074462
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 7 Vol. 134; ISSN 0021-8979
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (38)

Simple Common Plane contact algorithm: SIMPLE COMMON PLANE CONTACT journal December 2011
The effect of densification on the mechanical properties of amorphous glassy polymers journal September 1974
Similarity analysis of energy transport in gas-driven fractures journal February 1986
Shear strength of polymers under hydrostatic pressure: Surface coatings prevent premature fracture journal February 1971
Fracture of solids by weak blasts journal January 1995
Crack extension caused by internal gas pressure compared with extension caused by tensile stress journal March 1983
Wave propagation, damage evolution, and dynamic fracture extension. Part II. Blasting journal July 1996
High-Speed Photography and Digital Optical Measurement Techniques for Geomaterials: Fundamentals and Applications journal February 2017
Unsteady Dynamic Crack Propagation in a Brittle Polymer journal January 2007
Measurement of the dynamic fracture toughness of polymethylmethacrylate by high-speed photography journal March 1974
On the fracture process in blasting journal May 1971
Model studies of explosive well stimulation techniques journal April 1981
Model studies of well stimulation using propellant charges journal April 1983
An improved model of fracture propagation by gas during rock blasting—some analytical results journal December 1994
Mechanisms of Rock Fragmentation by Blasting book January 1993
Mechanical and numerical modeling of a porous elastic–viscoplastic material with tensile failure journal March 2000
The Mathematical Theory of Equilibrium Cracks in Brittle Fracture book January 1962
Dynamic mixed-mode fracture behaviors of PMMA and polycarbonate journal May 2017
Stress analysis of the interaction of a running crack and blasting waves by caustics method journal October 2017
Experimental study on mode-I and mixed-mode crack propagation under tangentially incident P waves, S waves and reflected waves in blasts journal April 2021
Simulation of penetration into porous geologic media journal April 2007
Optical techniques for measuring the shock Hugoniot using ballistic projectile and high-explosive shock initiation journal December 2012
Fracturing behavior around a blasthole in a brittle material under blasting loading journal June 2020
Experimental and numerical analysis of PMMA impact fracture journal September 2020
Laboratory study of wave propagation due to explosion in a jointed medium journal January 2016
Modeling dynamic fracture in granite under in situ conditions at high temperatures and pressures journal January 2019
Dynamic flow and failure of confined polymethylmethacrylate journal April 2008
Inversion for the complex elastic modulus of material from spherical wave propagation data in free field journal October 2019
Mode I stress intensity factors measurements in PMMA by caustics method: A comparison between low and high loading rate conditions journal July 2019
Study on dynamic fracture behavior of mode I crack under blasting loads journal February 2019
Dynamic modeling of explosively driven hydrofractures journal January 1991
Experimental deformation of dry westerly granite journal December 1977
Compact system for high-speed velocimetry using heterodyne techniques journal August 2006
The Quasi-Static Expansion of a Spherical Cavity in Metals and Ideal Soils journal January 1959
Recent application of caustics on experimental dynamic fracture studies journal February 2011
Measurement of Fracture Parameters for a Mixed-Mode Crack Driven by Stress Waves using Image Correlation Technique and High-Speed Digital Photography journal April 2009
Gas-Driven Fracture Propagation journal December 1981
The response of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) subjected to large strains, high strain rates, high pressures, a range in temperatures, and variations in the intermediate principal stress journal March 2016

Figures / Tables (28)

FIG. 1(p. 4)figure FIG. 1
FIG. 2(p. 5)figure FIG. 2
FIG. 3(p. 5)figure FIG. 3
FIG. 4(p. 6)figure FIG. 4
FIG. 5(p. 6)figure FIG. 5
FIG. 6(p. 6)figure FIG. 6
FIG. 7(p. 7)figure FIG. 7
FIG. 8(p. 7)figure FIG. 8
FIG. 10(p. 8)figure FIG. 10
FIG. 9(p. 8)figure FIG. 9
FIG. 11(p. 9)figure FIG. 11
TABLE I(p. 9)table TABLE I
TABLE II(p. 9)table TABLE II
FIG. 12(p. 10)figure FIG. 12
FIG. 13(p. 10)figure FIG. 13
FIG. 14(p. 11)figure FIG. 14
FIG. 15(p. 11)figure FIG. 15
FIG. 16(p. 12)figure FIG. 16
FIG. 17(p. 12)figure FIG. 17
FIG. 18(p. 12)figure FIG. 18
TABLE III(p. 12)table TABLE III
FIG. 19(p. 14)figure FIG. 19
FIG. 20(p. 14)figure FIG. 20
TABLE IV(p. 14)table TABLE IV
FIG. 21(p. 15)figure FIG. 21
FIG. 22(p. 15)figure FIG. 22
FIG. 23(p. 16)figure FIG. 23
FIG. 24(p. 17)figure FIG. 24

Similar Records

Shock Response of Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) Under Explosive Loading
Journal Article · Mon Apr 15 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Journal of Dynamic Behavior of Materials · OSTI ID:2337540
Stress field measurements using quantitative schlieren
Journal Article · Tue Sep 03 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · Journal of Applied Physics · OSTI ID:2578602
Response to unloading and reloading of shock compressed polymethyl methacrylate.
Conference · Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · OSTI ID:967823

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
Explosives
Geothermal energy
Heterodyne laser interferometry
Minerals
Numerical methods
Optical imaging
Polymers
Shock waves