Dynamic Lateral Earth Pressures on Underground Structures: Predicting Stresses Due to Impact Loadings

摘要

The underground detonation of an explosive device produces shock waves such as Primary waves (P-waves) and Secondary (or Shear) waves (S-waves). These waves cause buildup of pressures within a soil medium. These pressures have the capability of rendering destructive forces on underground structures, and consequently represent life threatening danger. Understanding these forces can aid in the design of underground structures to withstand such pressures, or alternatively, to design munitions which will render the maximum destructive power on underground structures when dropped at a predefined depth and distance from the structure. A conceptual representation of dynamic lateral earth pressures generated from an earth penetrating munition is shown.