Reverberation technique for yield strength experiments at ultrahigh pressure and strain rate

Abstract

Ultrahigh pressure and strain-rate (pressure ⪢10 GPa and strain rate ⪢105 s−1) are now attainable using high-power laser systems. A laser pulse drives a shock through a reservoir material which then unloads onto the target specimen. Laser velocimetry measurements at the back surface of the specimen are used to infer the material response. Material strength experiments have been proposed in which the pressure wave reverberates within the specimen and the cumulative resistance to compression by material strength is measured from the recorded velocimetry signature. In this work, ultrahigh pressure and strain-rate reverberation experiments are performed in tantalum, aluminum, and copper to investigate the yield strength behavior in this extreme regime. The experimental results indicate that the measurement sensitivity to yield strength is dominated by the lateral wave effects or impeded by the occurrence of spall. However, computer hydrodynamic code simulations are used to develop an experimental design based on shaping of the laser drive pulse that circumvents these difficulties. Simulations using the Steinberg–Guinan yield strength model and applying the design indicate the capability of measuring a factor-of-2 strength deviation from that predicted by the model with accuracy equal to or greater than the velocimetry measurement error.