Morimasa Higaki, Dayu Ding, Yuuzo Ooki and Tadao Yoshida
Abstract: An accidental explosion in 1848 in the USA became a trigger for the development of neuroscience. An accidental explosion of black powder took place in a borehole for blasting and the expelled iron bar penetrated the head of a young man. He was injured but survived for 12 years. The authors were asked to calculate the speed, impact pressure or energy of the explosion by the producer of a TV program. At the time we were carrying out similar experiments using a mortar and firework stars, and so a model experiment was performed. Here we report of the results.
Keywords: black powder, ballistics, iron bar, shot energy efficiency
Ref: JPyro, Issue 23, 2006, pp21-29
(J23_21)
© Journal of Pyrotechnics and CarnDu Ltd
