E. Scheid, T.D. Burleigh, N.U. Deshpande, and M.J. Murphy (2014), “Shaped Charge Liner Early Collapse Experiment Execution and Validation,” Propellants, Explosives, and Pyrotechnics, 39, 5, 739-748 (October 2014).
Shape charges are a technology that uses explosives to collapse and accelerate a thin-wall cone of metal into a hypersonic jet of solid metal that can penetrate any material. The significance of this current research was the development of an experimental technique that could capture the initial stages in the formation of the jet. This development is important because the microstructure of the initial metal cone is a critical factor in the velocity and elongation of the shape charge jet, affecting performance. Explosive shock and particularly shaped-charge generated strain-rates occur outside of Hall-Petch relationships and the deformation is associated with “non-classical” dislocation behavior. Traditional explosive experimentation is expensive, destructive or involves significant compromises to proper shock loading and/or material properties. Not only does this new method fill an experimental gap, but it does with an elegant, practical, and sophisticated method. In this first application, the results included remarkable imagery of the developing shaped charges and gave new insights into relationships between microstructure and high-strain rate deformation. This paper was based on the Ph.D. dissertation of Eric Scheid, who graduated with his Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from New Mexico Tech in May 2014. Eric's academic advisor was Prof. T.D. Burleigh, and his research advisor was Dr. Deshpande, from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division. Dr. Murphy provided additional theoretical support on the shape charges.