Numerical and experimental analysis of the detonation of sand-buried mines

Mine detonations are a major threat to military vehicles and their crews. In order to assess the effects of a mine detonation the load distribution on the vehicle floor must be known. As mines are mostly buried and covered with sand it is important to understand the influence of the sand cover on the loading characteristics. Besides the mine type, mine size and burial depth the material properties of the sand cover are important parameters that influence the detonation process. The aim of the presented work is to quantify this influence and to identify the most important sand parameters. As a useful measure of the loading magnitude the spatial distribution of the specific momentum was chosen. The analysis shows that the initial sand density is the main parameter, followed by the compaction strength. Other material parameters show minor influence on the loading magnitude. The presented models and methods were also used to estimate the influence of the burial depth of the mine on the vehicle loading.