Jean-Marc Chevalier

Ejection of spalled layers from laser shock-loaded metals

Dynamic fragmentation of shock-loaded metals is an issue of considerable importance for both basic science and a variety of technological applications, such as inertial confinement fusion, which involves high energy laser irradiation of thin metallic shells. In this context, we present an experimental and numerical study of debris ejection in laser shock-loaded metallic targets (aluminum, gold, and iron) where fragmentation is mainly governed by spall fracture occurring upon tensile loading due to wave interactions inside the sample. Experimental results consist of time-resolved velocity measurements, transverse optical shadowgraphy of ejected debris, and postshock observations of targets and fragments recovered within a transparent gel of low density. They are compared to numerical computations performed with a hydrodynamic code. A correct overall consistency is obtained.

Soft recovery technique to investigate dynamic fragmentation of laser shock-loaded metals

With the development of high energy laser facilities dedicated to inertial confinement fusion, the question of debris ejection from metallic shells subjected to intense laser irradiation has become a key issue. We have used two diagnostics to investigate fragmentation processes. Recovery of ejected fragments has been performed in a highly transparent gel of density 0.9u2002g/cm3. Fragments sizes, shapes, and penetration depths, can be easily observed with a spatial resolution of micrometer-order. Complementary data are provided by transverse shadowgraphy which allows to obtain quasi-instantaneous, successive pictures of the debris clouds and mean ejection velocities.

Effects of cryogenic temperature on dynamic fragmentation of laser shock-loaded metal foils

Although shock-induced fracture and fragmentation of materials at low temperatures are issues of considerable interest for many applications, such as the protection from hypervelocity impacts in outer space or the ongoing development of high energy laser facilities aiming at inertial confinement fusion, little data can be found on the subject yet. In this paper, laser driven shock experiments are performed on gold and aluminum samples at both ambient and cryogenic (down to about 30 K) temperatures. Complementary techniques including transverse optical shadowgraphy, time-resolved velocity measurements, and post-recovery analyses are combined to assess the effects of target temperature upon the processes of microjetting, spallation, and dynamic punching, which are expected to govern fragments generation and ejection. The results indicate that cryogenic temperature tends to reduce the resistance to tensile and shear stresses, promotes brittle fracture, and leads to slightly higher fragments ejection velocities.

TRANSVERSE SHADOWGRAPHY AND NEW RECOVERY TECHNIQUE TO INVESTIGATE DYNAMIC FRAGMENTATION OF LASER SHOCK‐LOADED METALS

With the development of high energy laser facilities dedicated to inertial confinement fusion, the question of debris ejection from metallic shells subjected to intense laser irradiation has become a key issue. We have used two diagnostics to investigate this phenomenon. Transverse shadowgraphy is an optical time‐resolved diagnostic. It provides successive images that allow characterizing the motion of fragments generated by processes such as microjetting and spallation. Quasi‐instantaneous pictures of the debris clouds are obtained and mean ejection velocities can be derived. Complementary data are provided by post‐shock analysis of recovered fragments. Such recovery can be achieved in aerogels, but their brittleness and low transparency make the analysis difficult. Instead, we have used a new technique, based on a highly transparent gel of density 0.9u2009g/cm3, which allows soft recovery and easy observation of the fragments sizes, shapes and penetration depths, with a spatial resolution of μm‐order.

Hypervelocity impacts into porous graphite: experiments and simulations

We present experiments and numerical simulations of hypervelocity impacts of 0.5u2009mm steel spheres into graphite, for velocities ranging between 1100 and 4500u2009mu2009s−1. Experiments have evidenced that, after a particular striking velocity, depth of penetration no longer increases but decreases. Moreover, the projectile is observed to be trapped below the crater surface. Using numerical simulations, we show how this experimental result can be related to both materials, yield strength. A Johnson–Cook model is developed for the steel projectile, based on the literature data. A simple model is proposed for the graphite yield strength, including a piecewise pressure dependence of the Drucker–Prager form, which coefficients have been chosen to reproduce the projectile penetration depth. Comparisons between experiments and simulations are presented and discussed. The damage properties of both materials are also considered, by using a threshold on the first principal stress as a tensile failure criterion. An additional compressive failure model is also used for graphite when the equivalent strain reaches a maximum value. We show that the experimental crater diameter is directly related to the graphite spall strength. Uncertainties on the target yield stress and failure strength are estimated. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Experimental testing and modelling of brittle materials at high strain rates’.

Dedicated contamination experiments in the Orion laser target chamber

The use of solid targets irradiated in a vacuum target chamber by focussed high energy, high power laser beams to study the properties of matter at high densities, pressures and temperatures are well known. An undesirable side effect of these interactions is the generation of plumes of solid, liquid and gaseous matter which move away from the target and coat or physically damage surfaces within the target chamber. The largest aperture surfaces in these chambers are usually the large, high specification optical components used to produce the extreme conditions being studied [e.g. large aperture off axis parabolas, aspheric lenses, X ray optics and planar debris shields]. In order to study these plumes and the effects that they produce a set of dedicated experiments were performed to evaluate target by product coating distributions and particle velocities by a combined diagnostic instrument that utilised metal witness plates, polymer witness plates, fibre velocimetry and low density foam particle catchers.

Effects of sample temperature on spall fracture in laser shock-loaded metals between 30 K and 1000 K

For many years, spall fracture of shock-loaded materials has been one of the most widely studied phenomena in shock physics, for both fundamental and technological motivations. Laser driven shocks provide a means to investigate this process over ranges of extremely high strain rates and short durations, and they allow recovering spalled samples more easily than plate impact or explosive loading techniques. In this paper, we present laser shock experiments on gold and aluminium in cryogenic conditions (relevant in the context of inertial confinement fusion), and on iron at high temperatures up to about 1000 K. Time-resolved measurements of the free surface velocity are used to determine the evolution of the spall strength with sample temperature. They are complemented by post-test observations of the recovered targets, which reveal clear changes in fracture surface morphology in the spall craters. In the case of iron, possible influences of pressure-induced phase transformations prior to tensile loading are discussed on the basis of hydrodynamic simulations.

Gel versus aerogel to collect high velocity ejectas from laser shock-loaded metallic targets for postrecovery analyses

Soft recovery of fast objects is an issue of considerable interest for many applications involving shock wave loading, such as ballistics, armor design, or more recently laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, where the characterization of the debris ejected from metallic shells subjected to intense laser irradiation conditions the design of the experiments. In this work, we compare the high velocity ejecta recovery efficiency of two materials: silica aerogel (density 0.03 g/cm3), which has been used as fragment collector for many years, and “varagel” (density 0.9 g/cm3), which we have tested recently in laser shock experiments. Ejected fragments have been recovered in both types of collectors. Then, samples have been analyzed by X-ray tomography at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF). Three-dimensional reconstructions of the fragments populations have been achieved, and quantitative comparisons between both collecting materials, used in the same conditions, have been performed.