David Veysset

High strain rate deformation of layered nanocomposites

Insight into the mechanical behaviour of nanomaterials under the extreme condition of very high deformation rates and to very large strains is needed to provide improved understanding for the development of new protective materials. Applications include protection against bullets for body armour, micrometeorites for satellites, and high-speed particle impact for jet engine turbine blades. Here we use a microscopic ballistic test to report the responses of periodic glassy-rubbery layered block-copolymer nanostructures to impact from hypervelocity micron-sized silica spheres. Entire deformation fields are experimentally visualized at an exceptionally high resolution (below 10 nm) and we discover how the microstructure dissipates the impact energy via layer kinking, layer compression, extreme chain conformational flattening, domain fragmentation and segmental mixing to form a liquid phase. Orientation-dependent experiments show that the dissipation can be enhanced by 30% by proper orientation of the layers.

Direct visualization of laser-driven focusing shock waves.

Direct real-time visualization and measurement of laser-driven shock generation, propagation, and 2D focusing in a sample are demonstrated. A substantial increase of the pressure at the convergence of the cylindrical acoustic shock front is observed experimentally and simulated numerically. Single-shot acquisitions using a streak camera reveal that at the convergence of the shock wave in water the supersonic speed reaches Mach 6, corresponding to the multiple gigapascal pressure range ∼30 GPa.

Laser-induced versus shock wave induced transformation of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite

We demonstrate that in-plane 2D propagation and focusing of a laser-induced shock wave result in enhanced nano-crystallization of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. Throughout the 2D shock focusing technique, which enables to clearly distinguish between the laser-induced and the shock-induced transformation/transition, our findings establish the role of the shock wave during the transformation/transition process. This configuration could open the way to an alternative path for laser shock fabrication of graphitic compounds and would give access to real time investigation of shock waves mediated phase transitions.

Dynamics of supersonic microparticle impact on elastomers revealed by real-time multi-frame imaging.

Understanding high–velocity microparticle impact is essential for many fields, from space exploration to medicine and biology. Investigations of microscale impact have hitherto been limited to post–mortem analysis of impacted specimens, which does not provide direct information on the impact dynamics. Here we report real–time multi–frame imaging studies of the impact of 7 μm diameter glass spheres traveling at 700–900 m/s on elastomer polymers. With a poly(urethane urea) (PUU) sample, we observe a hyperelastic impact phenomenon not seen on the macroscale: a microsphere undergoes a full conformal penetration into the specimen followed by a rebound which leaves the specimen unscathed. The results challenge the established interpretation of the behaviour of elastomers under high–velocity impact.

Photoacoustic determination of the speed of sound in single crystal cyclotrimethylene trinitramine at acoustic frequencies from 0.5 to 15 GHz

We report photoacoustic measurements of the quasi-longitudinal speed of sound along different crystallographic directions in the energetic molecular crystal cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX). Measurements in (100)-oriented RDX were made using two complimentary techniques to probe acoustic frequencies from 0.5 to 15 GHz to resolve large discrepancies in reported sound speed values measured using different techniques and frequency ranges. In impulsive stimulated light scattering (ISS), two laser beams were crossed at various angles in a sample to generate coherent acoustic waves with well-defined wavevectors. Picosecond acoustic interferometry (PAI) measurements were conducted in which a laser pulse heated a thin metal transducer layer coated on the sample surface to generate a broadband acoustic wave-packet that propagated into the sample. Time-dependent coherent Brillouin scattering of probe light from the acoustic waves revealed frequencies in the 0.5–3.5 GHz range in ISS measurements and at ∼15 GHz i...

Acoustical breakdown of materials by focusing of laser-generated Rayleigh surface waves

Focusing of high-amplitude surface acoustic waves leading to material damage is visualized in an all-optical experiment. The optical setup includes a lens and an axicon that focuses an intense picosecond excitation pulse into a ring-shaped pattern at the surface of a gold-coated glass substrate. Optical excitation induces a surface acoustic wave (SAW) that propagates in the plane of the sample and converges toward the center. The evolution of the SAW profile is monitored using interferometry with a femtosecond probe pulse at variable time delays. The quantitative analysis of the full-field images provides direct information about the surface displacement profiles, which are compared to calculations. The high stress at the focal point leads to the removal of the gold coating and, at higher excitation energies, to damage of the glass substrate. The results open the prospect for testing material strength on the microscale using laser-generated SAWs.

Corrigendum: Dynamics of supersonic microparticle impact on elastomers revealed by real–time multi–frame imaging

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/srep25577.

Simulation of polyurea shock response under high-velocity microparticle impact

On-going research into the complexities of polyurea behavior under shock loading has led to some breakthroughs in the predictive simulation of how this nominally soft polymer responds under high velocity impact conditions. This work expands upon a previously reported modified pressure-dependent viscoelastic constitutive model for polyurea and its performance under ballistic impact. Specifically, we present recent enhancements to the model including nonlinearites in the Hugoniot and improvements in the high-temperature viscoelastic behavior, which substantially improves accuracy and extends the model’s range of applicable conditions. These improvements are demonstrated through correlation of computations for a suite of normal and pressure-shear plate impact experiments well documented in the open literature. Additionally, microparticle impact experiments were performed on polyurea using a laser-induced particle impact test (LIPIT) technique. High-speed imaging of the impact mechanics revealed elastic parti...

High-velocity micro-particle impact on gelatin and synthetic hydrogel

The high-velocity impact response of gelatin and synthetic hydrogel samples is investigated using a laser-based microballistic platform for launching and imaging supersonic micro-particles. The micro-particles are monitored during impact and penetration into the gels using a high-speed multi-frame camera that can record up to 16 images with nanosecond time resolution. The trajectories are compared with a Poncelet model for particle penetration, demonstrating good agreement between experiments and the model for impact in gelatin. The model is further validated on a synthetic hydrogel and the applicability of the results is discussed. We find the strength resistance parameter in the Poncelet model to be two orders of magnitude higher than in macroscopic experiments at comparable impact velocities. The results open prospects for testing high-rate behavior of soft materials on the microscale and for guiding the design of drug delivery methods using accelerated microparticles.