Hugoniot data of plastic foams obtained from laser-driven shocks

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• High-Energy-Density Physics
• Shock Physics

Background:

• Plastic foams are crucial materials in various applications.
• Understanding their equation-of-state under extreme conditions is essential.
• Previous studies have limited data for low-density foams.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present Hugoniot data for plastic foams (poly(4-methyl-1-pentene)).
• To explore the equation-of-state of low-density foams using laser-driven shocks.
• To measure shock breakout and acceleration at the Al/foam interface.

Main Methods:

• Laser-driven shock experiments using the Prague PALS iodine laser.
• Utilized double-layer Al/foam targets for shock breakout detection.
• Employed aluminum as a reference material for relative equation-of-state determination.

Main Results:

• Generated pressures up to 3.6 Mbar in foams with densities between 60-130 mg/cm3.
• Obtained relative equation-of-state data for various foam densities.
• Measured shock acceleration across the Al/foam interface.

Conclusions:

• Successfully generated and measured Hugoniot data for low-density plastic foams at record pressures.
• Provided valuable equation-of-state data for a wider region of the phase diagram.
• The experimental methodology is effective for studying shock compression in foam materials.