In-fiber shock propagation in Dyneema®

In this work, the in-fiber shock propagation in Dyneema (R) has been studied such that the shock propagated along the axis of one of the fiber directions. A fast moving precursor wave was detected that corresponded to the elastic wave velocity of the fibers suggesting that the fibers themselves were acting as wave guides. Further, it was noticed that above a threshold shock stress of ca. 3.5 GPa, this wave was not discernable. This shock stress corresponded with the stress at which shock-induced melt would be expected to occur suggesting that melting inhibited the fibers' ability to act as wave guides. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3622294]