Shock-induced formation of a disordered solid from a dense particle suspension

Abstract

Shock wave propagation in multiphase media is dominated by the relative compressibility of the mixture components, which can result in shock-induced variations in the volume fraction of the suspension. As the post-shock volume fraction of a dense suspension increases with increasing shock strength, a loosely disordered solid can take form which causes an increase in the stiffness of the suspension. The present study investigates the formation of disordered structures within dense suspensions as well as the effect that such structures have on wave propagation through shock Hugoniot data for dense suspensions of silicon carbide in ethylene glycol. An analytical model will be used to illustrate the shock-induced variations of the mesostructure within the suspensions. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.