Fundamentals & Core Principles 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 Fundamentals & Core Principles flashcards as text
What is the Von Neumann spike in the context of detonation physics?
Answer: The peak pressure immediately behind the shock front before chemical reaction completes
The Von Neumann spike is the extremely high pressure spike at the leading shock front of a detonation, just ahead of the reaction zone.
Which regulatory agency primarily governs the manufacture, storage, and transportation of commercial explosives in the United States?
Answer: ATF
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has primary jurisdiction over licensing, storage, and record-keeping for commercial explosives under 18 U.S.C. Chapter 40.
What is meant by the 'sympathetic detonation' of an explosive?
Answer: Detonation triggered by the shock wave from an adjacent detonating charge
Sympathetic detonation occurs when the shock wave from one detonating explosive initiates an adjacent explosive without direct contact.
What is the purpose of stemming in a blasting operation?
Answer: To confine the explosive gases and increase energy coupling to the rock
Stemming confines the detonation gases within the borehole, improving energy transfer to the surrounding rock and reducing airblast.
Which factor most directly determines the stand-off distance required between an explosive magazine and inhabited buildings?
Answer: The maximum quantity-distance (Q-D) tables based on net explosive weight
Quantity-distance (Q-D) tables correlate the net explosive weight (NEW) stored to required separation distances from structures and public areas.
What term describes the phenomenon where an explosive fails to detonate completely, leaving unreacted material in the borehole?
Answer: Partial detonation
Partial detonation refers to incomplete reaction of the explosive column, often leaving cap-sensitive unreacted material that poses a serious hazard.
In the context of explosives, what does the term 'dead pressing' refer to?
Answer: Pressing explosive into a mold under high pressure to increase density until it becomes insensitive to detonation
Dead pressing occurs when an explosive is compressed to a density high enough that it becomes insensitive to normal initiation, a risk with cap-sensitive cartridged explosives.