Centrifuge modelling of blast effects in dry sand: Coriolis effect and soil arching

Abstract

Centrifuge model tests are conducted to investigate the dynamic response of dry sand under blast loading. The characteristics and propagation mode of blast waves in dry sand are studied. The Coriolis effect on blast-induced cratering is carefully scrutinised, and both the theoretical and experimental results are provided and agree with each other. In the explosion-induced cratering process, the sand ejecta is subjected to horizontal and vertical Coriolis forces simultaneously; the former directly determines the horizontal motion offset, while the latter affects the particle motion by altering the flight time, and the Coriolis effect on cratering can only be observed apparently for soil ejecta with a relatively small launch angle. Redistribution of the static earth pressure (blast-induced arching effect) in deep-buried, fully confined explosion events under hypergravity is observed. The friction between sand particles is significantly enhanced by the hypergravity to serve as the supporting arch springing. Conceptual analysis is conducted to further reveal the mechanism of the blast-induced arching effect based on the trapdoor test, from the three aspects of displacement mode, stress development and post-detonation stress distribution.