THE EFFECT OF ROW CHARGE SPACING AND DEPTH ON CRATER DIMENSIONS
Forty row charges were fired in the Albuquerque fandelta alluvium to define row-charge crater dimensions in terms of charge burial depth andd the spacing between charges in the row. Sixty single charges were detonated at various burial depths for comparison. The factors limiting equivalence between row-charge craters and continuous line-charge craters are defined in terms of length of the row charge and also in terms of both burial depth and spacing. When the most efficient charge spacing was used, the optimum burial depth for row charges was 10% greater than the burial depth at which optimum crater dimensions were obtained from a single charge of the same weight. Channels were found to have a uniform width at a maximum charge spacing greater than the maximum spacing at which a uniform depth was obtained. The maximum spacing which produces a uniform channel width is a distance 30% greater than the crater radius of the same size charge detonated singly at that depth which produces an optimum single- crater radius. The maximum spacing for producing a uniform channel depth was found to be a distance 10% greater than the maximum single-charge crater radius in the same medium. The burst depth and spacing for the most efficient use of row charges is defined, and the loss in cratering efficiency resulting from failure to work at optimum burst depth or optimum spacing can be evaluated from information obtained from this experiment. Throwout from the single charges and row charges was examined, but no scaling was derived. (auth)
- Research Organization:
- Sandia Lab., Albuquerque, N. Mex.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AT(29-1)-789
- NSA Number:
- NSA-18-001842
- OSTI ID:
- 4145063
- Report Number(s):
- SC-4730(RR)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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