Preliminary estimation of the explosive mass based on the crater resulting from the surface explosion on asphalt

Abstract

In the course of court trials and for the purpose of legal proceedings, forensic engineers often produce estimations of the explosive mass based on the explosion effect. For the preliminary estimation of the explosive mass one often uses empiric formulas. This paper describes experimental surface explosions of variable mass of known explosive charge on the asphalt with the objective to make correlations between causes and consequences of an explosion. Dimensions of the resulting craters were measured and an overview of experimental tests of five equations for calculating the mass of explosive based on the dimensions of the craters is given. The asphalt surfaces were chosen since the highest number of explosions, which are the results of terrorist or some other criminal acts, occur in urban conditions where asphalt is the dominant surface. Based on the given overview it is possible to give an evaluation of equation's reliability for certain explosive masses. The paper also includes a brief review of the facts related to the position of initiation and its influence the shape and dimensions of the crater.