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The intersection of dynamic compression, high-rate material response and X-ray science has seen rapid growth, leading to the establishment of specialized end-stations at international facilities such as Linac Coherent Light Source LCLS (Matter at Extreme Conditions – MEC) and Advanced Photon Source APS (Dynamic Compression Sector – DCS), both USA. Although these facilities excel in working with X-rays tailored for small material volumes (i.e. $\lt 1\, {\rm mm}^3$ < 1 mm 3 ), it needs a different approach to delve into subsequent processes. This is particularly the case in the transition from the micro- to mesoscale: here the ESRF distinguishes itself. The large beam size (several cm2) of the ID19 beamline, in conjunction with a strong high energy component, source flux density, and outstanding imaging sensitivity, enables sub-surface visualization of engineering-scale structures as well as natural systems in representative volume, under high rate and shock. This is particularly valuable when studying materials with complex mesostructures and heterogeneities on relevant volumetric scales, which often dominate the dynamic material response. The study of the behavior of materials under dynamic loading presents a unique challenge due to inherently spanning over multiple lengths- and timescales. The evolution of sudden (thermo)mechanical excitation, starting from the lattice scale and progressing through grains, phase domains, and ultimately to structures, exhibits a spectrum of responses spanning from the microscopic to bulk length scales. Consequently, a diverse range of diagnostics as well as driver instrumentation is required to identify, study, and characterize this material response spectrum. This article shall introduce platforms available at beamline ID19 and underline their potential by selected showcase applications. Community access proposals such as the beamtime Block Allocation Group (BAG) allow for access in a routine manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of single crystalline tantalum to one-dimensional shock loading has been investigated as a function of crystalline orientation to the loading axis. Results show that this has a significant effect, particularly on the Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL). [100] and [111] HELs are near identical with the [110] HEL having the lowest strength. This is contrary to predictions obtained by applying the Schmid factor analysis, where the ordering was expected to be (highest strength first) [111], [110], with the [100] orientation being the softest. Adopting a more appropriate model based on uniaxial strain conditions, as was previously done successfully for FCC aluminum and copper, did not rationalize our observations. We show that a non-Schmid effective stress model, incorporating twinning/anti-twinning asymmetry, has much greater success in reproducing the experimental relative HELs magnitudes. Using this model, we make a quantitative estimation of the magnitude of non-Schmid effects and compare these to equivalent low temperature, quasi-static estimates from the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interpreting and tailoring the dynamic mechanical response of granular systems relies upon understanding how the initial arrangement of grains influences the compaction kinetics and thermodynamics. In this article, the influence of initial granular arrangement on the dynamic compaction response of a bimodal powder system (soda-lime distributed throughout a porous, fused silica matrix) was investigated through continuum-level and mesoscale simulations incorporating real, as-tested microstructures measured with X-ray tomography. By accounting for heterogeneities in the real powder composition, continuum-level simulations were brought into significantly better agreement with previously reported experimental data. Mesoscale simulations reproduced much of the previously unexplained experimental data scatter, gave further evidence of low-impedance mixture components dominating shock velocity dispersion, and crucially predicted the unexpectedly high velocities observed experimentally during the early stages of compaction. Moreover, only when the real microstructure was accounted for did simulations predict that small fractions of the fused silica matrix material would be driven into the β -quartz region of phase space. These results suggest that using real microstructures in mesoscale simulations is a critical step in understanding the full range of shock states achieved during dynamic granular compaction and interpreting solid phase distributions found in real planetary bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of plate impact experiments have been conducted to study the spall strength of the three principal crystallographic orientations of single crystal aluminium ([100], [110] and, [111]) and ultra-pure polycrystalline aluminium. The samples have been shock loaded at two impact stresses (4 GPa and 10 GPa). Significant differences have been observed in the elastic behaviour, the pull-back velocities, and the general shape of the wave profiles, which can be accounted for by considerations of the microscale homogeneity, the dislocation density, and the absence of grain boundaries in the single crystal materials. The data have shown that there is a consistent order of spall strength measured for the four sample materials. The [111] orientation has the largest spall strength and elastic limit, followed closely by [110], [100], and then the polycrystalline material. This order is consistent with both quasi-static data and geometrical consideration of Schmid factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi-Taylor wave loaded plate impact experiments have been used to study the effects of bulk grain size on the shock and spall response of pure copper samples. Using line-Velocity Interferometry System for Any Reflector velocimetry, an increased particle velocity dispersion was measured for larger bulk grain size samples resulting in lower mean peak particle velocities and a lower reload velocity following spall. Spall voids were located in a surface layer of similarly sized grains for both bulk grain size materials tested. The spall strength was observed to vary with the tensile strain-rate but was unaffected by the bulk grain size. Post-mortem studies of voids in samples showed narrow void planes for the small bulk grain size materials and a larger spread of voids in the larger bulk grain size materials consistent with the free surface particle velocity data and observed particle velocity dispersion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the in-fiber shock propagation in Dyneema® has been studied such that the shock propagated along the axis of one of the fiber directions. A fast moving precursor wave was detected that corresponded to the elastic wave velocity of the fibers suggesting that the fibers themselves were acting as wave guides. Further, it was noticed that above a threshold shock stress of ca. 3.5 GPa, this wave was not discernable. This shock stress corresponded with the stress at which shock-induced melt would be expected to occur suggesting that melting inhibited the fibers' ability to act as wave guides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]