Mining Engineering Commons^™

Analyzing The Effectiveness Of The Gurney Method For Small Scale Fragmentation Propulsion Using Exploding Bridgewire Detonators, Emily M. Johnson, Rachel L. Bauer, Catherine E. Johnson

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Explosives are common in military, mining, and construction applications where the explosive properties are understood, but mechanics of how the explosive's energy fragments and throws materials are less known. Considering the type of confining material around an explosive, creates variability in fragmentation behavior due to the individual material characteristics. The most common method for assessing fragmentation behavior is the Gurney method, which eliminates any consideration of fragmenting material properties. The Gurney method assumes that, on a large scale, the inconsistencies in material are irrelevant and only the mass of the confiner need be considered. However, it is known in many …