Kinematics of failure waves in glasses

A new method for observation of the failure waves in glasses is proposed which allows this phenomenon to be reliably and reproducibly monitored, the failure wave propagation velocity to be measured, and an increase in the longitudinal stress to be determined. Using this method, the stresses produced by an elastic shock compression pulse propagating from the entrance of a stack of glass plates to the exit from this stack were experimentally measured. The compression wave exhibits splitting at each interface between adjacent glass plates in the stack, which leads to the formation of transmitted and reflected failure waves and is accompanied by decreasing stress in the leading elastic wave.