Measurement and Analysis of Spall Characteristics of High-Pure Aluminium at One-Dimensional Strain Loading

With an impact velocity varying from 196.9m/s to 317.9m/s and ratios of flyer/sample thickness of 2:4 and 3:6, the free-surface velocity profiles of the shock compressed high purity aluminium (HPA 99.999%) samples are measured with a velocity interferometer system for any reflector. Based on the vibrating features of the velocity profiles, the damage behaviour of HPA is analysed. The results indicate that the vibrating amplitude increases with increasing shock stress, and the subsequent reverberations describing the spall become more obvious. When the shock stress in the material is below a critical or smaller than the threshold level, the free-surface velocity profile replicates virtually the form of the compression pulse inside the sample. When the impact stress exceeds a critical value (1.4GPa), the micro damage would
appear, and the free-surface velocity profile changes significantly, showing a series of short-duration reverberations in the profile. When the impact stress exceeds the threshold of damage, a compressive disturbance called the ``spall pulse'' appears in the free-surface velocity profile, and the subsequent reverberation becomes regular again. The measured spall strength of HPA is much higher than those of commercially pure aluminium reported in many references. In addition, the strength of HPA is similar to that of single-crystal aluminium.