Uniaxial Wave Propagation Through Copper Mountain Sandstone

Copper Mountain sandstone samples of thicknesses varying from 1.0mm to 3.6mm were tested in plane strain configuration at impact velocities from 168m/s to 529m/s. Two-dimensional (2D) images of sandstone samples, etched in a 1% Buffered Oxide Etchant (BOE), were captured with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), then used to generate three-dimensional (3D) grain size distributions. To better inform design for future pressure-shear experiments, each plane strain test contained multiple sandstone samples of varying thicknesses to compare wave formation for a given shot velocity. The particle velocity induced at the back surface of the sample was measured using Photon Doppler Velocimetry (PDV). The dynamic experiments were simulated utilizing CTH and compared with experimental results.