Practice Test Geeks(CES) Certified Explosives Specialist Practice Test
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Blast Effects & Damage Assessment Flashcards

7 cards from real CES practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Blast Effects & Damage Assessment flashcards as text

  1. The Mach stem forms during a surface burst when:

    Answer: The incident and reflected waves merge along the ground surface

    The Mach stem is a near-vertical, reinforced shock front created when the incident wave and the ground-reflected wave coalesce at a specific angle.

  2. Cratering from a buried explosive is classified as 'camouflet' when:

    Answer: No surface rupture occurs and only a subsurface cavity is formed

    A camouflet is an underground explosion that creates a subsurface void without breaking the surface, leaving no visible crater.

  3. Which metric is used to compare the brisance of different explosives?

    Answer: Plate dent test (copper crusher) value

    The plate dent (or copper crusher) test measures the depth of indentation caused by detonation, providing a comparative brisance index.

  4. In blast damage assessment of reinforced concrete, spalling on the distal face (far side from blast) indicates:

    Answer: Reflected tensile stress exceeding the concrete's tensile strength

    Spalling on the far face occurs when the compressive wave reflects as a tensile wave, and concrete — weak in tension — fractures and ejects material.

  5. The TNT equivalence factor for a non-TNT explosive is determined by comparing:

    Answer: Heat of explosion values or peak overpressure at a reference distance

    TNT equivalence is derived from either thermochemical heat of explosion ratios or empirical overpressure measurements referenced to TNT at the same standoff.

  6. What is the primary purpose of a pressure-time (P-t) recorder placed at a field blast test?

    Answer: To record overpressure history and calculate impulse

    A P-t recorder captures the pressure waveform over time, from which both peak overpressure and impulse can be derived for blast characterization.

  7. Which building component typically fails FIRST under a far-field blast (low overpressure) scenario?

    Answer: Window glazing

    Window glazing has low resistance to blast overpressure and fails at pressures as low as 0.5–1 psi, well before structural elements.