Shock factor is a commonly used

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for estimating the amount of shock experienced by a naval target from an

underwater explosion An underwater explosion (also known as an UNDEX) is a explosive material, chemical or nuclear explosive, nuclear explosion that occurs under the surface of a body of water. While useful in anti-ship and submarine warfare, underwater bombs are not ...

as a function of explosive charge weight,

slant range In radio electronics, especially radar terminology, slant range or slant distance is the distance along the relative direction (geometry), relative direction between two points. If the two points are at the same level (coordinate), level (relati ...

, and depression angle (between vessel and charge).

SF =

* ''R'' is the slant range in feet * ''W'' is the equivalent

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

charge weight in pounds = charge weight (lbs) · Relative effectiveness factor *

\phi

is the depression angle between the hull and

warhead A warhead is the section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket (weapon), rocket, torpedo, or bomb. Classification Types of warheads include: *E ...

. The application scenario for Equation 1 is illustrated by Figure 1. The numeric result from computing the shock factor has no physical meaning, but it does provide a value that can be used to estimate the effect of an underwater blast on a vessel. Table 1 describes the effect of an explosion on a vessel for a range of shock factors. ::

Background

The idea behind the shock factor is that an explosion close to a ship generates a shock wave that can impart sudden vertical motions to a ship's hull and internal systems. Many of the internal mechanical systems (e.g. engine coupling to prop) require precise alignment in order to operate. These vibrations upset these critical alignments and render these systems inoperative. The vibrations can also destroy lighting and electrical components, such as relays. The explosion also generates a gas bubble that undergoes expansion and contraction cycles. These cycles can introduce violent vibrations into a hull, generating structural damage, even to the point of breaking the ship's

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

. In fact, this is a goal of many undersea weapon systems. The magnitude of an explosion's effects have been shown through empirical and theoretical analyses to be related to the size of the explosive charge, the distance of the charge from the target, and the angular relationship of the hull to the shock wave.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shock Factor Explosives