Shock Factor

Shock factor is a commonly used figure of merit for estimating the amount of shock experienced by a naval target from an underwater explosion as a function of explosive charge weight, slant range, and depression angle (between vessel and charge).

• R is the slant range in feet
• W is the equivalent TNT charge weight in pounds = charge weight (lbs) · Relative effectiveness factor
• is the depression angle between the hull and warhead.

The application scenario for Equation 1 is illustrated by Figure 1.

The numeric result from computing the shock factor has no physical meaning, but it does provide a value that can be used to estimate the effect of an underwater blast on a vessel. Table 2 describes the effect of an explosion on a vessel for a range of shock factors.

Table 1: Shock Factor Table of Effects

Shock Factor	Damage
< 0.1	Very limited damage. Generally considered insignificant.
0.1 - 0.15	Lighting failures; electrical failures; some pipe leaks; pipe ruptures possible.
0.15 - 0.20	Increase in occurrence of damage above;Pipe rupture likely; machinery failures;
0.2	General machinery damage
≥ 0.5	Usually considered lethal to a ship