Visualization and numerical analysis of stress waves in blasting process

Visualization studies were performed both experimentally and theoretically to observe stress wave propagation in a material and its interaction with the free surface of the material in a blasting process. PMMA (polymethyl-methacrylate) plates were used as a transparent material. The stress wave was generated by initiation of an electric detonator. The stress waves in the PMMA specimen with the right-angled corner were observed by means of the shadowgraph system using a Q switched ruby laser as a light source. In addition to the experiment, a numerical analysis using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) was also carried out to clarify the dynamic behavior of stress waves in the blasting process. Transmittance and reflection of the stress wave at the free surface could be visualized by both the experiment and the numerical analysis.