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Brittle materials such as glasses and polycrystalline ceramics are attractive for armor materials and for aerospace applications because of their high compressive strengths and their lower densities than metals. Leaded glasses exhibit lower Young’s modulus and slow crack growth exponent as compared to lead free soda-lime silica glass or high purity glasses such as fused silica allowing this to be an excellent candidate for these applications. A series of experiments utilizing the 90 mm bore single-stage powder gun has probed the planar (uniaxial strain) impact response of leaded silica glasses that were subjected to peak shock stress up to 22 GPa. The material studied was a potash-soda-lead glass with approximately 30% lead by weight and a density of 3.034 g/cm3. Glass samples of 25 mm diameter and of two different thicknesses (3 mm and 7 mm) were used for these experiments. Velocity interferometry data acquired during this investigation have been evaluated to determine dynamic yield strength (Hugoniot elastic limit) and shock Hugoniot state of the glass.

The high-pressure dynamic response of titanium dioxide (TiO 2) is not only of interest because of its numerous industrial applications but also because of its structural similarities to silica (SiO 2). We performed plate impact experiments in a two-stage light gas gun, at peak stresses from 64 to 221 GPa to determine the TiO 2 response along the Hugoniot. The lower stress experiment at 64 GPa shows an elastic behavior followed by an elastic–plastic transition, whereas the high stress experiments above 64 GPa show a single wave structure. Previous shock studies have shown the presence of high-pressure phases (HPP) I (26 GPa) and HPP II (100 GPa); however, our data suggest that the HPP I phase is stable up to 150 GPa. Using a combination of data from our current study and our previous Z-data, we determine that TiO 2 likely melts on the Hugoniot at 157 GPa. Furthermore, our data confirm that TiO 2 is not highly incompressible as shown by a previous study.

Equation of state properties were studied for the high-lead glass Corning 0120, which is a potash-soda-lead glass also referred to as G12. This glass, which contains approximately 30% PbO by weight and has a density, ρo, of 3.034 g/cm3 possesses properties suitable for many applications in industry such as optical components for space exploration instrumentation. Further understanding of its mechanical properties is desired for more complex applications in various fields, including applications where the glass may experience high-pressure shock loading. In this work plate impact experiments were conducted to determine the dynamic response of Corning 0120 at high stress levels. Tests were conducted over the pressure range from approximately 5 to 24 GPa utilizing the 90 mm bore single-stage powder driven gas gun at the Sandia National Laboratories STAR Facility. For this study, we used one-inch diameter Corning 0120 glass samples of two different thicknesses (3 mm and 7 mm) to use the evolution of the shock wave propagation through the material for analysis. The time-resolved material response was measured by means of a Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector system (VISAR). Results will be presented detailing the high-pressure shock loading response characteristics of the high-lead glass Corning 0120. Comparisons are made with similar results for lead free glass to assess the most prominent changes compared to lower density glasses and other lead filled glasses.

Graded density impactors (GDIs) have long been of interest to provide off-Hugoniot loading capabilities for impact systems. We describe a new technique which utilizes sputter deposition to produce an approximately 40 μm-thick film containing alternating layers of Al and Cu. The thicknesses of the respective layers are adjusted to give an effective density gradient through the film. The GDIs were launched into samples of interest with a 2-stage light gas gun, and the resulting shock-ramp-release velocity profiles were measured over timescales of ~10 ns with a new velocimetry probe. Results are shown for the direct impact of the film onto a LiF window, which allows for the dynamic characterization of the GDI, as well as from impact onto a thin (~40 μm) sputtered Ta sample backed by a LiF window. These measurements were coupled into mesoscale numerical simulations to infer the strength of Ta at the high rate (107 s-1), and high pressure (1 MBar) conditions this unique capability provides. Initial results suggest this is a viable strength platform which fills a critical gap and aids in cross-platform comparisons with other high-pressure strength platforms.

Pulsed power accelerators compress electrical energy in space and time to provide versatile experimental platforms for high energy density and inertial confinement fusion science. The 80-TW “Z” pulsed power facility at Sandia National Laboratories is the largest pulsed power device in the world today. Z discharges up to 22 MJ of energy stored in its capacitor banks into a current pulse that rises in 100 ns and peaks at a current as high as 30 MA in low-inductance cylindrical targets. Considerable progress has been made over the past 15 years in the use of pulsed power as a precision scientific tool. This paper reviews developments at Sandia in inertial confinement fusion, dynamic materials science, x-ray radiation science, and pulsed power engineering, with an emphasis on progress since a previous review of research on Z in Physics of Plasmas in 2005.

In a recent series of light-gas-gun experiments performed at Sandia National Laboratories, aluminum projectiles impacted titanium alloy plates at 6 km/s, with a variety of witness plates downstream. The radiative characteristics of the target debris cloud were measured using a combination of time-resolved visible emission spectroscopy and high-speed wavelength-filtered camera imagery. This paper will describe the analyses performed in support of the test series using the CTH shock-physics package from Sandia, discuss the methodology developed to port CTH results into radiation-physics codes, and provide comparisons between CTH results and experimental observations of debris-cloud shape. The combination of high-fidelity shock-physics analysis and high-fidelity spectral analysis of the shock-physics results represents a first-principles approach toward optical signature prediction in hypervelocity impacts.

Due to the considerable interest in the shock loading behavior of aluminum oxide whether it is in the polycrystalline phase or in the single crystal phase well-controlled experiments were conducted to probe differences in shock loading behavior between these two materials. Previous studies concluded that the behavior was similar but careful examination of well-controlled experiments has revealed the two materials are different.Although the experimental results appear to have the same behavior in the shock velocity vs. particle velocity plane, they are considerably different in the stressevolume compression plane and evidence is provided that indicates the single crystal remains crystalline up to the stresses imposed for this analysis. This is an extremely interesting observation since it has many implications including developing dynamic material models capable of transitioning between individual grains and polycrystalline material. 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

For armor applications, ceramic materials are often useful due to their high dynamic strength. In some instances, in addition to high strength, the armor must also be transparent, which significantly limits the choices of materials. Materials in the aluminum oxide–aluminum nitride family (including Al2O3 and AlON) are both strong and transparent. Only the end compound AlN is opaque. In this paper, the dynamic response to shock loading is examined for these materials to better understand the material response. Despite the chemical similarities, significant differences exist in the shock response and will be discussed.

A suite of impact experiments was conducted to assess spatial variability in the dynamic properties of tantalum, on length scales of tens of microns to a few millimeters. Two different sample types were used: tantalum processed to yield a uniform refined grain structure (grain size ∼20 μm) with a strong axisymmetric {1 1 1} crystallographic texture, and tantalum processed to yield an equiaxial structure with grain size ∼42 μm. Impact experiments were conducted loading the samples to stress levels from 6 to 12 GPa, which are well above the Hugoniot Elastic Limit (HEL), then pulling the sample into sufficient tension to produce spall. These stress levels were specifically chosen to investigate the spall behavior of tantalum at levels ranging from the incipient spall stage to significantly above the spall strength, focusing on microstructural phenomena. A recently developed spatially resolved velocity interferometer known as the line-imaging VISAR allowed the point-to-point variability of the spall strength to be determined. Specifically, we have been able to determine in real time the nucleation and growth of void defect structures that lead to the eventual spallation or delaminating of the plate. Experiments indicate that the nucleation and growth process is time-dependent and heterogeneous since a time-dependent distribution of defects is measured. This strongly suggests that the spall strength of the material is not a single-valued function. When fitted to Weibull failure statistics, the results indicate a similar mean value and variability for the spall strength of both types of tantalum. The spatial dependence of the material distension of the spalled tantalum is also deduced, in the approximation of uniaxial strain.

Silica based glasses are commonly used as window material in applications which are subject to high velocity impacts. Thorough understanding of the response to shock loading in these materials is crucial to the development of new designs. Despite the lack of long range order in amorphous glasses, the structure can be described statistically by the random network model. Changes to the network structure alter the response to shock loading. Results indicate that in fused silica, substitution of boron as a network former does not have a large effect on the shock loading properties while modifying the network with sodium and calcium changes the dynamic response. These initial results suggest the potential of a predictive capability to determine the effects of other network substitutions.

The line-VISAR is an optical interferometry system that allows velocities to be measured in a spatially and temporally resolved manner. The ability to measure velocity not only as a function of time but also as a function of position represents a significant advance over other diagnostics and opens up several new avenues of research. Over the last few years, the line-VISAR has been used to study a variety of phenomena related to material behavior at the mesoscale such as crushing of granular sugar, non-uniform failure of materials such as the statistics of spall strength, and multi-dimensional configurations such as flyer launch, embedded defects, and material interfaces. Here, we review the studies reported to date that utilized the line-VISAR in the investigation as well as presenting new results on nonuniformity of the phase transformation in iron and hypervelocity flyer launch with the Z machine. As part of the review, we will highlight examples of multi-dimensional applications resulting from impacts over the velocity range of 0.20 to 13 km/s. These examples demonstrate that the line-VISAR can be a valuable addition to the suite of diagnostics for impact and hypervelocity phenomena.

Results of well-controlled experiments on shock-induced vaporization studies in zinc, indium, and aluminum are presented. A titanium alloy impact at a velocity of 10.4 km/s will melt these materials totally. The expansion products upon release will consist of liquid–vapor mixtures. The ratio of liquid to vapor in the mixture depends on the material and also on the degree of expansion upon release. The impact generated debris propagates a gap dimension up to 125 mm before it stagnates against a stationary witness plate. The non-uniform spatial loading on the witness plate is determined using multiple velocity interferometers. Radiographic measurements of the debris cloud are also taken before it stagnates against the witness plate. Both radiographic and the velocity interferometer measurements suggest lateral and axial expansion. We have identified that the kinetics of the vaporization process can be related to the energy of the material shocked to the high-pressure state. In particular, the energy E of the material in the shocked state is expressed in units of the energy E v required to vaporize a gram of material from room temperature. Results of these experiments indicate that the rate of vaporization is strongly dependent on E/E v as it is increased by an order of magnitude from 1 to 10.

High-velocity impact experiments have been conducted to look for radio frequency (RF) emissions from impact-produced plasmas that could be used to identify micrometeoroid impacts to spacecraft in orbit. Launched by a three-stage light gas gun, 17 mm diameter by 0.9 mm thick Ti6Al-4V flyer plates impacted 0.75 mm thick indium (In) foil at more than 10 km s −1 . The resulting collision presumably ionized some fraction of the vaporized In cloud, which was accelerated to about 12 km s −1 . This weak In plasma then passed through a wide-band detection system that looked for RF emissions. Over the course of five shots during the experiment, no conclusive plasma emissions from the In were detected. However, strong evidence indicates that significant charge is accumulated on the flyer plate during acceleration and flight, possibly producing Paschen discharge to the chamber walls. Finally, plasma may be produced by the launcher secondary to launching the plate, leading to further contamination of the results. These effects have significant consequences for RF experiments attempted in launching systems of this type.

Particle launch experiments were performed to study application of the enhanced hypervelocity launcher (EHVL), i.e. the third-stage addition to the two-stage gun, for launching micron to millimeter sized particulates at velocities unobtainable with a standard two-stage light gas gun launch. Three types of particles or fliers were tested along with several barrel designs. For micron scale particles fine-grain polycrystalline ceramics were impacted and fractured, launching particulate clouds at velocities of 15 km/s. Multiple titanium particles ∼400 μm diameter embedded in plastic were “shotgun” launched to velocities of 10 km/s. Flier plates of 3 mm diameter by 1 mm thick Ti6Al4V were launched to 19 km/s. All experiments used a second-stage projectile with graded density facing impacting a flier in an impact generated acceleration reservoir. This paper describes the modification and adaptation of the Sandia EHVL to provide micrometeoroid simulation capabilities.

We have revisited the well-known phenomena of impact flash by examining the optical spectra generated by hypervelocity impacts at velocities up to several tens of kilometers per second. This particular effort, sponsored by an LDRD from our laboratories, has looked at the flash from impacts over a range of velocities from 6 to 25 km/s, using two different experimental environments. Both two- and three-stage light-gas guns and magnetically driven flyers on the Z accelerator were used. Here, we describe the latter set of experiments. Using standard tabulations of atomic spectral data, we were able to identify strong spectral lines from the principal materials used in the various shots. We demonstrated that the impact-flash spectra were qualitatively reproducible from shot to shot, and have confirmed the feasibility and credibility of using impact-flash spectroscopy for remote sensing applications such as meteoroid-impact or missile-defense engagement analyses.

This paper focuses on developing a technique that can probe phase transitions in ceramics and evaluating strength properties of single-crystal sapphire. High strength ceramics that undergo solid-to-solid polymorphic phase transitions can display a wide range of volume changes. Materials with large volumetric changes can be easily detected; however, materials demonstrating small volume changes, pose a different experimental problem. Because of the variety of diagnostics tools (for acquiring data), and differing interpretation of the data, materials that undergo small volume changes, make detection of transformation quite challenging. Different experimental test methods are needed to potentially allow detection and characterization of materials undergoing phase transitions with small volume changes. In addition, these results show that single-crystal sapphire has considerable strength loss at approximately 56 GPa on the Hugoniot. In this study, we report loading profile measurements in the form of particle velocity histories for single-crystal sapphire that is shocked to a given stress level directly or through multiple steps from a shocked state of 56 GPa. We probe the region of suggested phase transformations utilizing the simplest type of off-Hugoniot reshock loading. This also allows an assessment of shear strength in the shocked state of single-crystal c-axis sapphire. The present measurements show no evidence of a phase transition, but do suggest considerable strength loss in sapphire.

Boron carbide displays a rich response to dynamic compression that is not well understood. To address poorly understood aspects of behavior, including dynamic strength and the possibility of phase transformations, a series of plate impact experiments was performed that also included reshock and release configurations. Hugoniot data were obtained from the elastic limit (15–18 GPa) to 70 GPa and were found to agree reasonably well with the somewhat limited data in the literature. Using the Hugoniot data, as well as the reshock and release data, the possibility of the existence of one or more phase transitions was examined. There is tantalizing evidence, but at this time no phase transition can be conclusively demonstrated. However, the experimental data are consistent with a phase transition at a shock stress of about 40 GPa, though the volume change associated with it would have to be small. The reshock and release experiments also provide estimates of the shear stress and strength in the shocked state as ...

An investigation of the strength of AD995 alumina in the shocked state was assessed over the stress range of 26-120 GPa. Velocity interferometry was used to measure loading, unloading, reloading and cyclic loading profiles from the initial shocked state. These results show that alumina retains considerable strength at pressures exceeding 120 GPa. An important observation, as with some metals, is that there is a substantial increase in strength during reloading and a well-defined elastic behavior is observed. The unloading and reloading technique described also yields data to estimate a dynamic shock hydrostat, i.e., the mean pressure compression curve.

The phenomena of dynamic fracture and fragmentation are important in a variety of engineering applications. Computational modeling of these events presents unique challenges, not the least of which is the experimental validation of models. In this report, we describe recent developments on a technique for the expansion and fragmentation of tubes using a two-stage light gas gun. Because of the controlled environment of the experiment, a variety of diagnostic techniques can be employed. The available instrumentation, along with the repeatability of the technique, makes it well suited for model validation experiments. We present results of experiments on two materials, which provide insight into the physics of the process. Results of a limited number of simulations performed with CTH are also presented.

A systematic computational and experimental study is presented on impact generated debris resulting from record-high impact speeds recently achieved on the Sandia three-stage light-gas guns. In these experiments, a targetplate of aluminum is impacted by a titanium-alloy flier plate at speeds ranging from 6.5 to 11 km/s, producing pressures from 1 Mbar to over 2.3 Mbar and temperatures as high as 15000 K (>1 eV). The aluminum plate is totally melted at stresses above 1.6 Mbar. Upon release, the thermodynamic release isentropes will interact with the vapor dome. The amount of vapor generated in the debris cloud will depend on many factors such as the thickness of the aluminum plate, super-cooling, vaporization kinetics, and the distance over which the impact-generated debris is allowed to expand. To characterize the debris cloud, the velocity history produced by stagnation of the aluminum expansion products against an aluminum witness plate is measured using velocity interferometry. X-ray measurements of the debris cloud are also recorded prior to stagnation against the witness plate. Both radiographs and witness-plate velocity measurements suggest that the vaporization process is both time-dependent and heterogeneous when the material is released from shocked states around 230 GPa. Experiments suggest that the threshold for vaporization kinetics in aluminum should become significant when expanded from shocked states over 230 GPa. Numerical simulations are conducted to compare the measured X-ray debris cloud and the time-resolved experimental interferometer record with calculational results using the 3-D hydrodynamic wave-code, CTH. Results of these experiments and calculations are discussed in this paper.

The shear strength of a ceramic is an important material property which is indicative of its behaviour under impact loading condition, The brittle nature of ceramics suggest that impact loading of a ceramic attained due to subsonic impact could change the initial shear strength of the ceramic. If so, the subsequent behaviour of the ceramic may not be dependent on the the initial strength. Thus, it is necessary to determine the shear strength of a cermaic under single and multiple impacts. The present work determines the change in the shear strength of silicon carbide under a single shock, shock-reshock, and shock-release wave propagation, respectively. The material used in this work is marketed by CERCOM Inc. as SiC-B. The results of this work indicate that shear strength of SiC-B increases under shock-reshock.

The present work describes the compression and release response of a glass-fiber-reinforced polyester composite (GRP) under shock loading to 20 GPa. Shock experiments in GRP were performed at Sandia National Laboratories and the US Army Research Laboratory. GRP is a heterogeneous material. The diagnostic measurements fluctuate beyond the precision of the experimental measurements but they do permit determination of an average response of the material at the end state. These experiments show that: (i) GRP deforms elastically in compression to at least 1.3 GPa; (ii) the deformation coordinates of shocked and re-shocked GRP lie on the deformation locus of initially shocked GRP to 4.3 GPa; (iii) and the release path of GRP shocked to varying magnitudes of stresses indicate that the GRP expands such that its density when stresses are released in the range of 3–5 GPa from a peak compressive stress of 9 GPa and above is lower than the initial density of GRP. Possible reasons for the observed lower density remain to be investigated.

The purpose of this study is to report well-controlled experiments conducted to determine the fracture resistant properties of AerMet® 100 steels. One of the objectives of this study is to determine the influence of fracture toughness properties on the fracture and fragmentation process. Both sphere impact tests and cylinder expansion test geometry were used to determine the dynamic fracture resistant coefficients. These experiments were conducted at strain rates of ∼ 14 × 10 3 /s for the cylinder expansion tests; the strain rates for the sphere impact tests varied over 50 to 100 × 10 3 /s. Fracture resistant coefficients of 60 MPa √m and 20 MPa √m are obtained from the cylinder test and the sphere impact test, respectively. These measurements do not agree with the static fracture toughness values reported in the literature.

Results of an experimental series performed utilizing a three-stage gun to obtain precise material property equation of state (EOS) data for a titanium alloy (Ti6-Al-4V) at extreme pressure states that are not currently attainable using conventional two-stage light-gas gun technology is reported herein. What is new is the technique being implemented for use at engagement velocities exceeding 11 km/s. Shock-velocity in the target is being determined using 100 μm diameter fiber-optic pins and measuring shock transit times over a known distance between two parallel planes. These fiber-optic pins also indicate that the flyer-plate bow and tilt is comparable to two-stage light-gas gun technology. The thermodynamic state of the flyer plate prior to impact has also been determined both experimentally and calculationally. In particular, the temperature, and hence the density of the flyer-plate is also well known prior to impact. Results of these studies indicate that accurate Hugoniot information can be obtained using the three-stage light gas gun. This new test-methodology has extended the EOS of Ti6-Al-4V titanium alloy to stresses up to approximately 250 GPa.

In this study we provided an experimental test bed for validating features of the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian Grid for Research Applications (ALEGRA) code over a broad range of strain rates with overlapping diagnostics that encompass the multiple responses. A unique feature of the ALEGRA code is that it allows simultaneous computational treatment, within one code, of a wide range of strain-rates varying from hydrodynamic to structural conditions. This range encompasses strain rates characteristic of shock-wave propagation (10 7 /s) and those characteristics of structural response (10 2 /s). Most previous code validation experimental studies, however, have been restricted to simulating or investigating a single strain-rate regime. What is new and different in this investigation is that we have performed well-controlled and well-instrumented experiments, which capture features relevant to both hydrodynamic and structural response in a single experiment. Aluminum was chosen for use in this study because it is a well-characterized material. The current experiments span strain rate regimes of over 10 7 /s to less than 10 2 /s in a single experiment. The input conditions were extremely well defined. Velocity interferometers were used to record the high strain-rate response, while low strain rate data were collected using strain gauges. Although the current tests were conducted at a nominal velocity of ∼ 1.5 km/s, it is the test methodology that is being emphasized herein. Results of a three-dimensional experiment are also presented.

Hypervelocity launch capabilities (9 – 16 km/s) with macroscopic plates have become available in recent years. It is now feasible to conduct instrumented plane-wave tests using this capability. Successfully conducting such tests requires a planar launch and impact at hypervelocities, appropriate triggering for recording systems, and time-resolved measurements of motion or stress at a particular point or set of points within the target or projectile during impact. We have conducted the first time-resolved wave-profile experiments using velocity interferometric techniques at impact velocities of 10 km/s. These measurements show that aluminum continues to exhibit normal release behavior to 161 GPa shock pressure, with complete loss of strength of the shocked state. These experiments have allowed a determination of shock-wave window transparency in conditions produced by a hypervelocity impact. In particular, lithium fluoride appears to lose transparency at a shock stress of 200 GPa; this appears to be the upper limit for conventional wave profile measurements using velocity interferometric techniques.

A systematic study is described which has led to the successful launch of thin flier plates to velocities of 16 km/s. The energy required to launch a flier plate to 16 km/s is approximately 10 to 15 times the energy required to melt and vaporize the plate. The energy must, therefore, be deposited in a well-controlled manner to prevent melt or vaporization. This is achieved by using a graded-density assembly to impact a stationary flier-plate. Upon impact, time-dependent, structured, high pressure pulses are generated and used to propel the plates to hypervelocities without melt or fracture. In previous studies, a graded-density impact of 7.3 km/s was used to launch a 0.5 mm thick plate to a velocity of over 12 km/s. If impact techniques alone were to be used to achieve flier-plate velocities approaching 16 km/s, this would require that the graded-density impact occur at - 10 km/s. In this paper, we describe a new technique that has been implemented to enhance the performance of the Sandia hypervelocity launcher. This technique of creating an impact-generated acceleration reservoir, has allowed the launch of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm thick plates to record velocities up to 15.8 km/s. In these experiments, both titanium (Ti-6A1-4V) and aluminum (6061-T6) alloy were used for the flier-plate material. These are the highest metallic projectile plate velocities ever achieved for masses in the range of 0.1 g to 1 g.

In support of LLNL efforts to develop multiscale models of a variety of materials, we have performed a set of eight gas gun impact experiments on 2169 steel (21% Cr, 6% Ni, 9% Mn, balance predominantly Fe). These experiments provided carefully controlled shock, reshock and release velocimetry data, with initial shock stresses ranging from 10 to 50 GPa (particle velocities from 0.25 to 1.05 km/s). Both windowed and free-surface measurements were included in this experiment set to increase the utility of the data set, as were samples ranging in thickness from 1 to 5 mm. Target physical phenomena included the elastic/plastic transition (Hugoniot elastic limit), the Hugoniot, any phase transition phenomena, and the release path (windowed and free-surface). The Hugoniot was found to be nearly linear, with no indications of the Fe - phase transition. Releases were non-hysteretic, and relatively consistent between 3- and 5-mm-thick samples (the 3 mm samples giving slightly lower wavespeeds on release). Reshock tests with explosively welded impactors produced clean results; those with glue bonds showed transient releases prior to the arrival of the reshock, reducing their usefulness for deriving strength information. The free-surface samples, which were steps on a single piece of steel, more » showed lower wavespeeds for thin (1 mm) samples than for thicker (2 or 4 mm) samples. A configuration used for the last three shots allows release information to be determined from these free surface samples. The sample strength appears to increase with stress from ~1 GPa to ~ 3 GPa over this range, consistent with other recent work but about 40% above the Steinberg model. « less

PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate) is an important material to characterize, both as a model glassy polymer and as a window for interferometry techniques. Recently, PMMA reshock experimental results have been reported which implied a large thermal pressure component for PMMA reshocked from about 45 GPa. This work calls into question the high pressure, primary Hugoniot data the original conclusions were based on and presents an alternative explanation, namely, that the average Gruneisen coefficient, as indicated by the Mie-Gruneisen EOS, is too small to be inferred by the experimental data.

Well-controlled impact studies have been conducted on heat treated ES-1 (i.e. Eglin steel) to determine their dynamic material properties. In particular gas-gun and time-resolved laser interferometry was used to measure the fine structure in the particle velocity profile resulting from symmetric impact. Nominal impact pressures range from 8 to 20 GPa at corresponding impact velocities of 0.400 km/s and 1.00 km/s, respectively. These experiments have allowed us to estimate the dynamic yield and spall strengths and phase transition kinetics of the material.

We report isentropic release states of uniaxial strain experiments and simulations on 6101 T-6 48-50% density open-cell aluminum foam compressed up to 10 GPa. Mesoscale simulations of the dynamic response of the foam are compared to experimental measurements and are used to build continuum constitutive relations. The mesoscale simulations capture the Hugoniot and the release behavior in the foam extremely well. The resulting constitutive relations built from mesoscale simulations compare favorably to those built from experimental results.

Planar shock experiments were conducted on granular tungsten carbide (WC) and tantalum oxide (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}) using the Z machine and a 2-stage gas gun. Additional shock experiments were also conducted on a nearly fully dense form of Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}. The experiments on WC yield some of the highest pressure results for granular materials obtained to date. Because of the high distention of Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}, the pressures obtained were significantly lower, but the very high temperatures generated led to large contributions of thermal energy to the material response. These experiments demonstrate that the Z machine can be used to obtain accurate shock data on granular materials. The data on Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} were utilized in making improvements to the P-{lambda} model for high pressures; the model is found to capture the results not only of the Z and gas gun experiments but also those from laser experiments on low density aerogels. The results are also used to illustrate an approach for generating an equation of state using only the limited data coming from nanoindentation. Although the EOS generated in this manner is rather simplistic, for this material it gives reasonably good results.

Pressure-shear experiments were performed on granular tungsten carbide and sand using a newly-refurbished slotted barrel gun. The sample is a thin layer of the granular material sandwiched between driver and anvil plates that remain elastic. Because of the obliquity, impact generates both a longitudinal wave, which compresses the sample, and a shear wave that probes the strength of the sample. Laser velocity interferometry is employed to measure the velocity history of the free surface of the anvil. Since the driver and anvil remain elastic, analysis of the results is, in principal, straightforward. Experiments were performed at pressures up to nearly 2 GPa using titanium plates and at higher pressure using zirconium plates. Those done with the titanium plates produced values of shear stress of 0.1-0.2 GPa, with the value increasing with pressure. On the other hand, those experiments conducted with zirconia anvils display results that may be related to slipping at an interface and shear stresses mostly at 0.1 GPa or less. Recovered samples display much greater particle fracture than is observed in planar loading, suggesting that shearing is a very effective mechanism for comminution of the grains.

Very high pressure and acceleration is necessary to launch flier plates to hypervelocities. In addition, the high pressure loading must be uniform, structured, and shockless, i.e., time-dependent to prevent the flier plate from either fracturing or melting. In this paper, a novel technique is described which allows the use of 100 GPa megabar loading pressures and 109-g acceleration to launch intact flier plates to velocities of 12.2 km/s. The technique has been used to launch nominally 1-mm thick aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloy plates to velocities over 10 km/s, and 0.5-mm thick aluminum and titanium alloy plates to velocities of 12.2 km/s.

Experiments have been performed on NASA state-of-the-art hypervelocity impact shields using the Sandia Hypervelocity Launcher (HVL) to obtain test velocities greater than those achievable using conventional two stage light-gas sun technology. The objective of the tests was to provide the first experimental data on the advanced shielding concepts for evaluation of the analytical equations (shield performance predictors) at velocities previously unattainable in the laboratory, and for comparison to single Whipple Bumper Shileds (WBS) under similar loading conditions. The results indicate that significantly more mass is required on the back sheet of the WBS to stop an approximately flat-plate particle impacting at 7 km/sec and at 10 km/sec that the analytical equations (derived from spherical particle impact data) predicted. The Multi-Shock Shield (MSS) consists of four ceramic fabric bumpers, and is lighter in terms of areal density by up to 33%, but is as effective as the heavier WBS under similar impact conditions at about 10 km/s. The Mesh Double Bumper shield (MDB) consists of an aluminum wire mesh bumper, followed by a sheet of solid aluminum and a layer of Kevlar ® fabric. It provides a weight savings in terms of areal density of up to 35% compared to the WBS for impacts of around 10 km/s.

This document provides detailed test results of ballistic impact experiments performed on several types of high performance concrete. These tests were performed at the Sandia National Laboratories Shock Thermodynamic Applied Research Facility using a 50 caliber powder gun to study penetration resistance of concrete samples. This document provides test results for ballistic impact experiments performed on two types of concrete samples, (1) Ductal{reg_sign} concrete is a fiber reinforced high performance concrete patented by Lafarge Group and (2) ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) produced in-house by DoD. These tests were performed as part of a research demonstration project overseen by USACE and ERDC, at the Sandia National Laboratories Shock Thermodynamic Applied Research (STAR) facility. Ballistic penetration tests were performed on a single stage research powder gun of 50 caliber bore using a full metal jacket M33 ball projectile with a nominal velocity of 914 m/s (3000 ft/s). Testing was observed by Beverly DiPaolo from ERDC-GSL. In all, 31 tests were performed to achieve the test objectives which were: (1) recovery of concrete test specimens for post mortem analysis and characterization at outside labs, (2) measurement of projectile impact velocity and post-penetration residual velocity from electronic and radiographic techniques and, (3) high-speed photography of the projectile prior to impact, impact and exit of the rear surface of the concrete construct, and (4) summarize the results.

We report the results of uniaxial strain experiments of ERG Aerospace aluminum foam, at 50% relative density up to 10 GPa. The reverse ballistic plate reverberation technique was used to obtain shock compression states of the material. In these tests, 6061 T-6 aluminum, oxygen free homogenous copper (OFHC), and tantalum were used as standard material targets and were shocked by an aluminum foam projectile traversing up to 2.0 km/s. The response of the target plates were monitored by three different velocity interferometers positioned at three different locations on the witness plate. This provided us with the compaction behavior of the foam material in three discrete locations per sample, due to the presence of porosity in the foam material.Copyright © 2010 by ASME

The behavior of a shocked tungsten carbide / epoxy mixture as it expands into a vacuum has been studied through a combination of experiments and simulations. X-ray radiography of the expanding material as well as the velocity measured for a stood-off witness late are used to understand the physics of the problem. The initial shock causes vaporization of the epoxy matrix, leading to a multi-phase flow situation as the epoxy expands rapidly at around 8 km/s followed by the WC particles moving around 3 km/s. There are also small amounts of WC moving at higher velocities, apparently due to jetting in the sample. These experiments provide important data about the multi-phase flow characteristics of this material.

Results from spectral radiance measurements using optical multi-channel analyzer over the visible and near infrared regime provide estimates of temperature from expansion products resulting from shocked materials. Specifically, we have made spectral radiance measurements over the wavelength regime of 300–1500 nm. Experiments conducted on aluminum, cerium, and Composition-B high explosive span a wide regime of E/E_v, where E is the internal energy increase of the shocked material, and E_v, is the specific energy required to vaporize the material. For the materials investigated, the ratio is ~ 1, 3 and 5 for aluminum, cerium, and Composition-B, respectively. The basic assumption made to deduce these temperatures is that the debris cloud is radiating as a blackbody with emissivity of one and independent of the wavelength. We are also assuming that the probe is monitoring the debris, which is at a single temperature and that there is no spatial temperature gradient. Temperatures at or above the boiling point are confirmed for aluminum and cerium, while the results for Composition-B provide the time-dependent temperature expansion history for shocked Composition-B over the stress regime of 28–130 GPa. These are the first measurements of temperature obtained from the expansion products from materials that have been shocked to very high pressures.

Material heterogeneity appears to give rise to variability in the yield behavior of ceramics and metals under shock loading conditions. The line‐imaging VISAR provides a way to measure this variability, which may then be quantified by Weibull statistics or other methods. Weibull methods assign a 2‐parameter representation of failure phenomena and variability. We have conducted experiments with tantalum (25 and 40 μm grains) and silicon carbide (SiC‐N with 5 μm grains). The tantalum HEL variability did not depend systematically on peak stress, grain size or sample thickness, although the previously observed precursor attenuation was present. SiC‐N HEL variability within a single shot was approximately half that of single‐point variability in a large family of shots; these results are more consistent with sample‐to‐sample variation than with variability due to changing shot parameters.

The dynamic compaction of sand was investigated experimentally and computationally to stresses of 1.8 GPa. Experiments have been performed in the powder's partial compaction regime at impact velocities of approximately 0.25, 0.5, and 0.75 km/s. The experiments utilized multiple velocity interferometry probes on the rear surface of a stepped target for an accurate measurement of shock velocity, and an impedance matching technique was used to deduce the shock Hugoniot state. Wave profiles were further examined for estimates of reshock states. Experimental results were used to fit parameters to the P-Lambda model for porous materials. For simple 1-D simulations, the P-Lambda model seems to capture some of the physics behind the compaction process very well, typically predicting the Hugoniot state to within 3%.

This study is best characterized as new technology development for implementing new sensors to investigate the optical characteristics of a rapidly expanding debris cloud resulting from hypervelocity impact regimes of 7 to 11 km/s. Our gas guns constitute a unique test bed that match operational conditions relevant to hypervelocity impact encountered in space engagements. We have demonstrated the use of (1) terahertz sensors, (2) silicon diodes for visible regimes, (3) germanium and InGaAs sensors for the near infrared regimes, and (4) the Sandia lightning detectors which are similar to the silicon diodes described in 2. The combination and complementary use of all these techniques has the strong potential of ''thermally'' characterizing the time dependent behavior of the radiating debris cloud. Complementary spectroscopic measurements provide temperature estimates of the impact generated debris by fitting its spectrum to a blackbody radiation function. This debris is time-dependent as its transport/expansion behavior is changing with time. The rapid expansion behavior of the debris cools the cloud rapidly, changing its thermal/temperature characteristics with time. A variety of sensors that span over a wide spectrum, varying from visible regime to THz frequencies, now gives us the potential to cover the impact over a broader temporal regimemore » starting from high pressures (Mbar) high-temperatures (eV) to low pressures (mbar) low temperatures (less than room temperature) as the debris expands and cools.« less

Aluminum oxynitride (AlON) is an interesting ceramic because it is both polycrystalline and transparent. We have conducted plate impact experiments to measure the Hugoniot up to 100 GPa and the spall strength up to the HEL. AlON appears to loose spall strength completely under certain conditions, perhaps due to the propagation of a failure wave. It remains transparent, however, up to at least 5 GPa allowing refractive index measurements over this regime.

In theory, a shock wave traveling through a material gives rise to a well defined Hugoniot state. However, in practice, the measurement technique used to probe the shocked state imparts on the data a unique set of experimental artifacts which can affect interpretation of this data. Two commonly used methods for acquiring shock wave data, VISAR and inclined‐mirror measurements are examined to determine the effects of the measurement technique on the final Hugoniot determination. Recent plate impact experiments on the ceramic silicon carbide are used to calibrate a one‐dimensional computer model, which is then used to simulate experimental VISAR and inclined mirror data. The results, which highlight potential pitfalls in interpretation of experimental data, will be discussed and solutions to the discrepancies will be proposed. Further, this work is extended to include ceramics that undergo phase transitions.

Shock properties of polymeric materials have been investigated at low stresses for use as windows for velocity interferometry, binder phases for polymer‐bonded explosives, and as adhesives. The shock Hugoniot for many other polymeric materials may also exist. There are distinct advantages in using a low‐impedance polymer for impactors on shock experiments, however the loading structure from reshock or release has not been determined at these high stresses. In this study polymethyl‐methacrylate (PMMA) is shocked to approximately 45 GPa and recompressed up to 130 GPa as well as unloaded from the shocked state. Reloading and unloading wave speeds have been determined from this initial stress level of approximately 45 GPa. The results from these tests not only characterize PMMA at these stress states, but will be valuable when PMMA is used as a standard material to study strength and phase transformation behavior in other materials.

While isentropic compression experiment (ICE) techniques have proved useful in deducing the high-pressure compressibility of a wide range of materials, they have encountered difficulties where large-volume phase transitions exist. The present study sought to apply graded-density impactor methods for producing isentropic loading to planar impact experiments to selected such problems. Cerium was chosen due to its 20% compression between 0.7 and 1.0 GPa. A model was constructed based on limited earlier dynamic data, and applied to the design of a suite of experiments. A capability for handling this material was installed. Two experiments were executed using shock/reload techniques with available samples, loading initially to near the gamma-alpha transition, then reloading. As well, two graded-density impactor experiments were conducted with alumina. A method for interpreting ICE data was developed and validated; this uses a wavelet construction for the ramp wave and includes corrections for the ''diffraction'' of wavelets by releases or reloads reflected from the sample/window interface. Alternate methods for constructing graded-density impactors are discussed.

Kill assessment continues to be a major problem for the nation's missile defense program. A potential approach for addressing this issue involves spectral and temporal analysis of the short-time impact flash that occurs when a kill vehicle intercepts and engages a target missile. This can provide identification of the materials involved in the impact event, which will, in turn, yield the data necessary for target identification, engagement analysis, and kill assessment. This report describes the first phases of a project under which we are providing laboratory demonstrations of the feasibility and effectiveness of this approach. We are using two major Sandia facilities, the Z-Pinch accelerator, and the two- and three-stage gas guns at the Shock Thermodynamics and Applied Research (STAR) facility. We have looked at the spectral content of impact flash at velocities up to 25 km/s on the Z-Pinch machine to establish the capability for spectroscopy for these types of events, and are looking at similar experiments at velocities from 6 to 11 km/s on the gas guns to demonstrate a similar capability for a variety of research-oriented and applied materials. The present report describes only the work performed on the Z machine.

Of special promise for providing dynamic mesoscale response data is the line-imaging VISAR, an instrument for providing spatially resolved velocity histories in dynamic experiments. We have prepared two line-imaging VISAR systems capable of spatial resolution in the 10-20 micron range, at the Z and STAR facilities. We have applied this instrument to selected experiments on a compressed gas gun, chosen to provide initial data for several problems of interest, including: (1) pore-collapse in copper (two variations: 70 micron diameter hole in single-crystal copper) and (2) response of a welded joint in dissimilar materials (Ta, Nb) to ramp loading relative to that of a compression joint. The instrument is capable of resolving details such as the volume and collapse history of a collapsing isolated pore.