Selected Geotechnical Properties of a Calibration Test. Buried Explosives Against Shallow Targets.

• Main Authors: Sawyer, William B., McCrocklin, Kingsley H., Lambert, Michael W., Kennedy, Conrad S., Maynard, Lafayette G.
• Other Authors: NAVAL RESEARCH LAB STENNIS SPACE CENTER MS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1995
• Subjects: Physical and Dynamic Oceanography; Explosions; *SEDIMENT TRANSPORT; *UNDERWATER EXPLOSIONS; DATA BASES; DENSITY; SHOCK WAVES; EXPLOSIVE CHARGES; GRAIN SIZE; POROSITY; FLY ASH; GROUT; EXPLOSION EFFECTS; SATURATION; SHALLOW WATER; CLAY; BURIED OBJECTS; VOLUMETRIC ANALYSIS; LITTORAL ZONES; MARINE ENGINEERING; NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN; SEDIMENTS; GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING; OCEAN BOTTOM; DETONATIONS; SHEAR STRENGTH; UNDERWATER MINES; SILT; CORE SAMPLING; CHESAPEAKE BAY; PE61153N; WUDN153062; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA304158; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA304158

This report characterizes the geotechnical properties of a grout material used as a testbed for the Defense Nuclear Agency sponsored project, Buried Explosives Against Shallow Water Targets (BEAST), a calibration test. The BEAST research program was designed to model the behavior of explosion shock waves in gassy littoral marine sediments and the effects on a ship passing over an exploding mine buried in such sediments. The grout material was chosen as a 'synthetic sediment' which would simulate a natural, gassy, littoral marine sediment deposit. The grout was core-sampled and analyzed for mass physical and mechanical properties both prior to and after an explosive charge was detonated within the testbed grout material. The resultant physical properties determined from the grout were compared to those same properties derived from natural marine sediments. Significant similarities and differences were noted for future work with the grout for testbed purposes. In summary, shear strength data appear to be reasonably good measurements; physical property measurements including water content, wet bulk density, dry bulk density, and textural analysis (gross grain size) appear to be reasonable and of high quality. The greatest concern appears to be the inability to obtain reliable grain density measurements and, thus, confidence in the derivative physical property determinations (percent gas, percent saturation, porosity, and void ratio). The differences and variability in the grain densities significantly affects volumetric measurements of gas content, percent saturation, porosity, and void ratio. (AN)