PurposeCareer success such as it is classically modelled and measured is not necessarily representative of the perceptions of blue‐collar workers. Therefore, the goal of the present study is to understand what it means to succeed in blue‐collar occupations. A definition and a measure are useful starting points in explaining the individual's evaluation of success and in analysing the behaviour which results from it.Design/methodology/approachAfter a review of literature, in order to develop the theoretical framework for the research, 25 exploratory interviews were conducted with blue‐collar workers in order to obtain their criteria for career success. The results are reported, together with the methodological decisions and a proposed explanatory model.FindingsSuccess is traditionally described as having an objective and a subjective part. In order to understand the perceptions of blue‐collar workers, it is necessary to recognise that their perceptions are influenced by material, psychological and social aspects.Practical implicationsThe definitions developed in this paper could be used to develop employment programmes addressing the expectations of blue‐collar workers, and to attract new employees to this kind of occupation. More generally, with the flattening of organizations, it is necessary to re‐evaluate the concept of success for all workers, and to develop policies that are appropriate to changes in the labour market.Originality/valueThe majority of career studies focus on “white collar” workers. Traditional career theory has developed models which consider that all the employees are guided by the same systems of values (status, power, wages, etc.). Thus, this paper fulfils a need to develop an understanding of career success from the perspective of blue‐collar workers.

A new model for shaped charge jet break‐up was devised. For this purpose, the fragments of a shaped charge jet were analyzed and their characteristics compared against the ones predicted by the break‐up proposed by Pfeffer, Hirsch, Chou und Haugstad. As the predictions provided by these models are not fully satisfactory, the break‐up process was analyzed in order to develop a new break‐up model which provides a better estimation of the break‐up time and the accumulated length of the jet. This model makes use of one parameter, the fragment shape index, which can be determined ex‐ perimentally. This parameter characterizes the type of jet break‐up (ductile or brittle) and is hence indicative of the jet quality.

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