Continuum modelling of explosive fracture in oil shale

Fracture and fragmentation studies on 80 ml/kg Anvil Points oil shale with plate impact, Hopkinson bar, capacitor discharge, and HE techniques have shown that the dynamic fracture stress, fracture energy, and fragment size depend on the rate of tensile loading. A model coupling fracture, fragmentation, and stress wave propagation and based on the activation and growth of an initial Weibull distribution of fracture-producing flaws has been found effective in describing the observed rate-dependent fracture phenomena from static to high strain-rate impulse loading. The fracture model has been incorporated into one- and two-dimensional stress-wave computer codes and is being used to evaluate blasting geometries and stress-pulse tailoring for in situ rubblization of oil shale.