Title
A Study of the Fragmentation of Rock by Impingement with Water and Solid Impactors
Publisher
St. Anthony Falls Laboratory
Abstract
Based on findings in other research areas it was reasoned that water
slugs of substantial size (up to 1/2 lb) traveling at moderate velocities
(< 800 fps) could impinge on rock with fragmenting pressure. To substantiate
this reasoning, a compressed air launching gun was designed and built
and an extensive series of impact tests was made on a steel-mounted pressure
transducer and on sandstone and limestone targets.
In a very few tests pressure values measured on the steel target
exceeded the nominal compressive load limits of the rocks, but on actual
rock targets significant fragmentation failed to occur. The basic difficulty was related to an inability to maintain a suitable air-water interface
on a traveling water slug containing high kinetic energy. This,
together with higher-than-anticipated dynamic failure values in the rook,
prevented effective fragmentation.
Pilot tests which replaced the water with spherical slugs of steel
(3/16 to 2 in. diam.) resulted in spalling fragmentation and excellent
specific energy values. Minimum values of specific energy appeared to
occur with velocities below 500 fps. However, the evidence for the 2-inch
spheres was limited by the fact that the 12-inch target cubes (sandstone,
granite, basalt) shattered at velocities below 400 fps.
The tests suggest that moderate-velocity large slugs of water are
not satisfactory for fragmentation of rock, but heavy large-sized solid
impactors are very effective at moderate velocities.
Series/Report Number
St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Project Reports
131
Funding information
Advanced Research Projects Agency
Suggested Citation
Ripken, John F.; Wetzel, Joseph M..
(1972).
A Study of the Fragmentation of Rock by Impingement with Water and Solid Impactors.
St. Anthony Falls Laboratory.
Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy,
https://hdl.handle.net/11299/108505.