Gas mixture explosion as a tool for generating impulsive disturbances

The work is devoted to the development of a device for generating impulsive perturbations in soil massifs. It is proposed to use the explosion energy of a high-pressure acetylene-oxygen gas mixture as a source of impulse perturbations. Applying the standard method of measuring mechanical stresses and using piezoelectric sensors, it is obtained the stress fields occurring in the soils when an explosion of the gas mixture takes place. It is revealed that the dependences of the maximal stresses in the soil massif on the relative distance to the source, when the gas charge under high pressure acts, are the power functions. The exponents of power functions approximating these experimental dependences are obtained. The attenuation of the maximal radial stresses with the distance is considered for the two cases when the charges filled with gas mixture under low and high pressure act. The comparison of these cases indicates their similarity. In the paper it is also performed the analysis of modern methods of using explosive and non-explosive sources for seismic wave generation during investigations in the search geophysics. The existing structural sources of seismic waves used in the seismic exploration are analyzed in detail. The disadvantages and advantages of explosive and non-explosive impulsive sources of seismic waves are indicated. Among the advantages of the proposed wave sources it is worth noting their low price and mobility. There is no need to obtain special permits for their use. The obtained results allow one to expand the field of gas detonation application. In particular, it can be used as an alternative source of seismic waves. The proposed method is promising for training in search geophysics and in the study of properties of soil massifs.