Elastic-plastic deformation of molybdenum single crystals shocked along [100]

To understand the elastic-plastic deformation response of shock-compressed molybdenum (Mo) - a body-centered cubic metal, single crystal samples were shocked along the [100] crystallographic orientation to an elastic impact stress of 12.5 GPa. Elastic-plastic wave profiles, measured at different propagation distances ranging between similar to 0.23 to 2.31 mm using laser interferometry, showed a time-dependent material response. Within the experimental scatter, the measured elastic wave amplitudes were nearly constant over the propagation distances examined. These data point to a large and rapid elastic wave attenuation near the impact surface, before reaching a threshold value (elastic limit) of similar to 3.6 GPa. Numerical simulations of the measured wave profiles, performed using a dislocation-based continuum model, suggested that {110} < 111 > and/or {112} < 111 > slip systems are operative under shock loading. In contrast to shocked metal single crystals with close-packed structures, the measured wave profiles in Mo single crystals could not be explained in terms of dislocation multiplication alone. A dislocation generation mechanism, operative for shear stresses larger than that at the elastic limit, was required to model the rapid elastic wave attenuation and to provide a good overall match to the measured wave profiles. However, the physical basis for this mechanism was not established for the high-purity single crystal samples used in this study. The numerical simulations also suggested that Mo single crystals do not work harden significantly under shock loading in contrast to the behavior observed under quasi-static loading. Published by AIP Publishing.