Propagation of shock waves in dry and wet sandstone: Experimental observations, theoretical analysis and meso-scale modeling

Methods of experimental observations, theoretical analysis and meso-scale modeling were used to study the propagation processes of shock waves in dry and wet sandstone under dynamic impact in this paper. According to the results from the dynamic impact experiments with velocity of 0.2-0.5 km/s, it was found that the velocity of shock wave increases linearly with water content. Additionally, the velocity of the shock wave in the sandstone showed a linearly increased regularity with the increasement of the impact velocity, which was proved by theory in this paper. Furthermore, meso-scale simulation models were performed and the simulation results showed that sandstone's porosity reduced the shock waves velocity compared to nonporous materials. Pore space filled with water counteracts the effects of porosity, resulted in larger shock wave velocity.