Mine blast loading experiments

A comprehensive review of the literature related to mine blast is provided. Then, a series of mine blast loading experiments are described where the soil moisture content, plate standoff, and plate shape (flat and V-shaped) were varied. Three experiments were conducted for each test configuration to quantify repeatability of the experiments. The primary experimental diagnostic was the initial velocity imparted to the plate, as inferred from the maximum height that the plate displaced. The experimental results, besides being of value in their own right, provide a set of data for numerical simulations/validation.