Investigating cracks in natural materials using the example of granite under explosive action

The formation of cracks in a natural material (granite) resulting from an explosive action is examined. Images of crack fragments and relief are obtained at different degrees of magnification using optical, electron, and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The parameters of cracks as 3D objects are determined with allowance for the distance from the impact source. The roughness of the crack edges and the local increase in their width at a certain stage of propagation indicate a jump-wise character of their development, due possibly to aspects of the zone of failure localization forming at the tip of the crack in granite as a polycrystalline material.