Structure of Shock Wave in Nanoscale Porous Nickel at Pressures up to 7 GPa

The structure of shock waves in pressed porous samples of nickel nanoparticles was investigated in a series of uniaxial planar plate impact experiments in the pressure range of 1.6–7.1 GPa. The initial porosity of the samples was about 50%. Wave profiles were obtained using laser velocimetry techniques. The nanomaterial demonstrated a complex response to shock loading including the development of a two-wave structure associated with precursor and compaction waves. The effect on profiles and measurements of the observed precursor reverberations propagating between the front of a compaction wave and a monitored sample surface was described. The obtained wave profiles were used to estimate the thicknesses of precursor and compaction wave fronts.