Failure Waves in Glass

Failure waves have been recently observed in glass plates and rods struck by high-speed projectiles. These waves propagate into material that has been prestressed by a compressive shock. The wave propagation speed exceeds the maximum crack speed and is not constant. Behind the failure wave there is a total loss of tensile strength and a substantial drop in shear strength. The failure is explosive, leading to radial expansion in unconfined targets and presurization in confined targets.