Shock Compression of Silicon Polymer Foams with a Range of Initial Densities

We report here on a collection of shock compression experiments on a silicon polymer foam with varying degrees of distension from low (∼0.4 g/cm3) to the near fully dense material (∼ 1 g/cm3). These experiments are being carried out on a two‐stage gas‐gun (50 mm bore) with a Kel‐F 81 impactor at velocities between 1.5 and 3.1 km/s. Particle and shock velocity measurements are made with magnetic gauges by inserting the gauge package (0.001 inches thick) between layers of 2.3 mm thick foam. Special attention is required for assembly of these targets due to the foam’s low strength. To minimize compression and gaps at interfaces, the foams are positioned between support rings, which are machined to match the foam’s thickness. The Hugoniot data from these experiments is compared to unpublished data obtained with explosively driven flyers at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the early 1980’s.