Explosion force is dependent on the Amount and the said Material

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between the amount and type of explosive material and the resulting force produced during an explosion. Participants explore various scenarios involving different configurations of explosive volumes and question how these configurations affect the overall force output. The conversation includes theoretical considerations and conceptual clarifications regarding explosive dynamics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes that the force of an explosion is dependent on both the amount and the type of explosive material used.
  • Another participant questions the distinction between "lots" of force from multiple smaller explosions versus a single larger explosion, seeking clarity on how these forces interact.
  • A participant uses an analogy of rocks on a waterbed to illustrate how the density of explosives might affect the resulting force, suggesting that the force may not simply sum from smaller amounts to equal that of a larger amount.
  • Some participants express confusion over the terminology used, particularly regarding what is meant by "force" and how it relates to pressure waves generated by explosions.
  • One participant suggests that the question may be about whether multiple lower amplitude shocks can achieve the same physical state as a single higher amplitude shock.
  • Another participant points out the importance of clarifying whether "2cm3" refers to cubic centimeters or a cube with sides of 2 centimeters, as this distinction could affect the outcome of the explosion scenarios discussed.
  • One participant raises the concept of superposition in the context of pressure waves, suggesting that the pressures from separate explosions may not simply add together in the case of extreme pressures or shock waves.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying degrees of understanding and confusion regarding the concepts discussed, indicating that multiple competing views remain on how explosive forces interact. The discussion does not reach a consensus on the relationship between the configurations of explosives and the resulting forces.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the definitions of terms used, such as "force" and "pressure," and how these relate to the physical phenomena being discussed. The conversation also reflects a lack of clarity on the assumptions underlying the scenarios presented.

DaneS
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As I understand it; when an explosive material is set off, the force is dependent on the Amount and the said Material.

As an example,
I have 2cm3 of dynamite

I set it off and once the appropriate "oo's and ahh's" are said I set up eight separate 1cm3 blocks of dynamite and set them up stacked as close as possible together and to explode at the same time.

Would the force be the same as the before mentioned 2cm3 block or would it be just eight separate outputs of force of the eight individual 1cm3 blocks set off together?

Obviously if I set off the eight 1cm3 blocks individually it would just be the force of 1block, eight times, but does sticking them together ie, 2 blocks (2x1cm3) create the singular output force of 2 or just two separate singular force outputs of 1?

Okay, if I confused you then hopefully you can understand my confusion.. (?)

I'll try break it down:

Explosion1 = One 2cm3 block
The singular force of Explosion1 has an output of 8

Explosion2 = Eight 1cm3 blocks together
Question 1 Does it equal a singular force of 8 or does it equal eight separate outputs of 2 alongside each other?

Explosion3 = One 2cm3 block AND One 1cm3 block on top
Question 2 Does it equal a singular output force of 9 OR two separate outputs of 8 and 1 respectively?

I hope SOMEONE who understands this can help me, I've been stuck on this during the holidays and my limited yr10 level physics doesn't help me, hopefully in this new year I might understand more.

Thank you for reading.
 
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DaneS said:
As I understand it; when an explosive material is set off, the force is dependent on the Amount and the said Material.

As an example,
I have 2cm2 of dynamite

I set it off and once the appropriate "oo's and ahh's" are said I set up four separate 1cm2 blocks of dynamite and set them up stacked as close as possible together and to explode at the same time.
Not "cm2"- you mean "cm3".

Would the force be the same as the before mentioned 2cm2 block or would it be just four separate "lots" of force of the four individual 1cm2 blocks set off together?
What "force" are you talking about. And what would distinguish four separate "lots" of "force" form one?

Obviously if I set off the four 1cm2 blocks individually it would just be the force of 1block, four times, but does sticking them together ie, 2 blocks (2x1cm2) create double the output force or just two lots of it?
Again, what force and how is "double the output force" different from "two lots of it"?

Okay, if I confused you then hopefully you can understand my confusion.. (?)

I'll try break it down:

Explosion1 = One 2cm2 block
The singular force of Explosion1 has an output of 8

Explosion2 = Four 1cm2 blocks together
Question 1 Does it equal a singular force of 8 or does it equal four separate outputs of 2 alongside each other?

Explosion3 = One 2cm2 block AND One 1cm2 block on top
Question 2 Does it equal a singular output force of 10 OR two separate outputs of 8 and 2 respectively?

I hope SOMEONE who understands this can help me, I've been stuck on this during the holidays and my limited yr10 level physics doesn't help me, hopefully in this new year I might understand more.

Thank you for reading.
 
Think of it like putting rocks on a waterbed. if the rocks are spread out, there will be many small weights over a large area, and the top of the waterbed will still be relatively flat. However, if there are many rocks in a small area, they will weigh down and cause the water bed to be shaped like a funnel.

The depth of the surface of the waterbed is analogous to your force. i.e. the higher the density of explosives in a region, the more force immediately surrounding it when exploded.


I would imagine the force due to an explosive (at some fixed distance/geometry) varies with the density of explosives exponentially... so summing the forces due to small amounts of explosives probably won't equal that due to a larger amount. But I'm just speculating.
 
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Corrected original post, I got lost when I posted it.
 
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What "force" are you talking about. And what would distinguish four separate "lots" of "force" form one?


Again, what force and how is "double the output force" different from "two lots of it"?

I mean the pressure created by the explosion, and when I say the "singular output force" I mean is it all added up? or is it just two separate pressure waves?

It would be nice if you wouldn't try pick apart every little mistake in my question, cause if I knew what I was talking about, then I wouldn't be asking it in the first place!
 
What is sounds like your asking is: Can you reach the same physical state through multiple lower amplitude shocks as would be reached through a single higher amplitude shock?
 
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nbo10 said:
What is sounds like your asking is: Can you reach the same physical state through multiple lower amplitude shocks as would be reached through a single higher amplitude shock?

Well, I guess so, that's why I'm asking cause I have no idea! Thank you for replying and somehow simplifying my complicated question!
 
When you say "2cm3", do you mean 2 cubic centimeters, or a cube that is 2 centimeters on a side? Because that changes the answer...

If you mean the latter, then it would produce a shock very similar to the shock produced by 8 separate 1cm3 blocks placed close together. If you mean the former, the 8 smaller blocks would produce a significantly stronger shock, on account of the fact that there is significantly more explosive present.
 
Sounds to me like the question is -

Assuming a fixed total volume of explosives,
Is the sum of "forces" due to fractions of the volume (ignited separately) equal to the "force" observed when igniting the whole volume at once.

where "force" is somewhat ambiguous.

If we're talking about pressure waves, let's say explosion 1 (E1) creates a maximum pressure P1, and explosion 2 (E2) creates a maximum pressure P2.

supposing a 3rd explosion (E3), which has the sum of the volumes of explosives in E1 and E2,

I would not assume that P3=P1+P2

Superposition does not hold for extreme pressures / shock waves.
 

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