Measurements of strength of metals in a picosecond time range

Abstract

We studied the shock-wave phenomena in metal films of a micron or submicron thickness irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses. The single-shot interferometer technique was used to record the time and spatial resolved displacements of rear surfaces of the films. The free surface displacement histories were converted into the free surface velocity histories using several various approaches. As a result, new data on the shear and spall strength have been obtained for aluminum (3.2 GPa and 8.2 GPa) and iron (7.9 GPa and 20.3 GPa) in strongly metastable states close to their ultimate values. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.