Abstract
An unusual form of glass with bulbous head and thin tail, known as Rupert's drops, can withstand high impact or pressure applied to the head, but explodes instantly into small particles when the tail is broken. The mechanism is not well understood. To examine this, we performed macro- and microstatistical analyses of a sample of 500 g of fragments of exploded Rupert's drops to determine the mass and particle distributions and associated fractal dimensions. To our knowledge, this is the first such statistical study of the fragmentation of a metastable material with large internal energy. The resulting fractal dimension D = 1.06 ± 0.09, derived from the scaling region of the mass and particle distribution functions approximated by power laws, differs from fractal dimensions (usually ⩾2) previously reported for many brittle materials. The observed distribution functions place constraints on proposed mechanisms for the explosive disintegration of the drops and presumably other physical systems characterized by high compressive stress at the surface and tensile stress within the core.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
