Disintegration of materials by reactive jets

Results of experiments on failure of materials by jets of a material that is reactive toward the disintegrating material are presented. A sodium low-pressure jet acted on water-saturated gypsum samples whose strength in compression was more than an order of magnitude higher than the stagnation pressure of the jet. The jet effectively penetrated into the material and disintegrated it at the expense of the thermal energy released as a result of the chemical reaction between the jet material and the disintegrating material. The specific energy expended in the disintegration of the material can be diminished by several orders of magnitude compared to the mechanical and hydrojet methods.