Scaling laws for centrifuge modelling of explosion-induced cratering in sand

There are shortcomings in generality and applicability for traditional crater scaling laws, and the Coriolis effect on explosion cratering in centrifuge test is still unclear. Centrifuge model tests including buried and surface explosion are performed to investigate the cratering effect under different centrifugal acceleration, charge weight and buried depth. Scaling laws on buried and surface explosion crater are derived, and the formula of crater radius is given. Quantitative analysis and numerical simulation of the Coriolis effect on explosion cratering are carried out. The results show that the proposed crater scaling laws can be applied to both buried and surface explosion in dry sand, and good uniformity are obtained for the crater data from both the centrifuge test and 1-g test. The Coriolis force primarily affects the profile of the apparent crater by changing the motion trajectory of sand particles, and it is obviously observed in the buried explosion test, the crater profile is asymmetric and shift in the direction of centrifuge rotation; however, the Coriolis force have a negligible effect on the surface explosion cratering. The crater offset error can be significantly reduced by using a centrifuge with larger beam radius and conducting test at higher centrifugal accelerations. The research results provide reference and basis for the centrifugal modelling and theoretical analysis of explosion cratering.