Hypervelocity Impact on Rock

Concerted research efforts are being made to find new means of rock disintegration for more rapid, efficient excavation. Water jets, metallic jets and hypervelocity projectiles have been found to cut or break rock with varying degrees of efficiency depending upon several parameters, which are being defined by research in Russia, Britain and the United States. Optimum performance of high velocity impact agents is an important engineering factor. A concise review of research data is presented together with a correlation and analysis of current theory and experimental results. G. B. Clark is Director, and C. J. Haas, J.W. Brown, and D. A. Summers are Research Associates, Rock Mechanics and Explosives Research Center; University of Missouri-Rolla;