Spallation Damage Experiments in Cylindrical Geometry

Spallation damage is the process of damage in a ductile material caused by void nucleation, growth and coalescence due to states of high tensile stress. Typical experiments are conducted in a planar, uniaxial stress configuration. A convergent geometry provides a unique opportunity to study multi-dimensional stress states. A series of 3 cylindrical spall experiments on aluminum is planned for this summer, using flux compression generators to drive the experiments. The experiments will explore the spallation damage threshold to determine effects of the cylindrical geometry. In addition, the effect of plastic work on the pressure wave profile as it moves through the material will be studied.