| Abstract: | The initial velocity of casing fragments from bombs, shells etc. was first calculated by R. W. Gurney in 1943 [1]. Subsequent to this derivation by Gurney, which was based on a reasonable simplification of the case and gas dynamics, his wartime co‐worker, U. Fano [2], claimed to have calculated the proportion of kinetic energy remaining with the explosive gases following energy partition with the casing. This paper shows that both Fano’s equation for cased charge blast equivalence and a further derivation by Fisher in 1953 [3], based on Fano’s, are in fact inconsistent with Gurney’s reasonable physical model. Neither of these two reports has ever been the subject of independent peer‐review, despite having been extensively cited. This paper identifies the error made by Fano and copied by Fisher and draws attention to an alternate equation recently published by the author which gives similar predictions to that of Fisher, while being consistent with Gurney’s original derivation. Also, this paper establishes for the first time that the use of such equations for cased charge blast impulse equivalence is valid. |
