Investigation of the mesoscopic scale response of low-density pressings of granular sugar under impact

TLDR: The mesoscopic scale response of low-density pressings of granular sugar (sucrose) to shock loading has been examined in gas-gun impact experiments using both VISAR and a line-imaging, optically recording velocity interferometer system in combination with large-volume-element, high-resolution, three-dimensional numerical simulations of these tests as mentioned in this paper.

Abstract: The mesoscopic scale response of low-density pressings of granular sugar (sucrose) to shock loading has been examined in gas-gun impact experiments using both VISAR and a line-imaging, optically recording velocity interferometer system in combination with large-volume-element, high-resolution, three-dimensional numerical simulations of these tests. Time-resolved and spatially resolved measurements of material motion in waves transmitted by these pressings have been made as a function of impact velocity, sample thickness, and sample particle size distribution. Observed wave profiles exhibit a precursor regime arising from elastic stress wave propagation and a dispersive compaction wave with superimposed localized particle velocity fluctuations of varying amplitude. Material motion associated with dynamic stress bridging leads compaction wave arrival by ∼2μs at the lowest impact velocity (0.25kms−1) employed in this study and <200ns at the higher values (0.7–0.8kms−1). Over the same range, the compaction wa...