Elastic-plastic shock wave profiles in oriented single crystals of cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX) at 2.25 GPa

Abstract

Plate impact experiments were performed on oriented single crystals of the energetic material cyclotrimethylene trinitramine (RDX). The experiments were performed to determine the anisotropic dynamic yield point for the RDX crystal, as well as to provide data for continuum modeling efforts. Impact was on the (111), (210), and (100) planes to access 3, 2, and 0 slip systems, respectively. Velocity history profiles were measured using Doppler interferometry. Impacts on the (210) plane resulted in nominally conventional results, with distinct elastic and plastic waves, stress relaxation, elastic precursor decay, and increasing wave separation with propagation distance. Velocity profiles from impacts on the (111) plane had no discernable precursor, although an inflection seen in the thicker samples might be the nearly overdriven elastic wave. Wave arrival times signaled a slower elastic wave speed in the (111) profiles. Several unexpected features were observed in the elastic precursor of the profiles from impacts on the (100) plane. Up to three distinct step features were resolved in these profiles in the region of the elastic precursor; these features are not understood. In preparing samples for these experiments, it was noted that the (100) crystal slabs were exceptionally brittle. Wave speeds determined from the shock experiments were consistent with both pulse-echo wave speed measurements and wave speeds calculated from the measured elastic tensor. The elastic limit, as indicated by the peak of the leading wave, was relatively isotropic. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.