Real time synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements to determine material strength of shocked single crystals following compression and release

We present a method to use real time, synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements to determine the strength of shocked single crystals following compression and release during uniaxial strain loading. Aluminum and copper single crystals shocked along [111] were examined to peak stresses ranging from 2 to 6 GPa. Synchrotron x rays were used to probe the longitudinal lattice strains near the rear free surface (16 and $5μm$ depths for Al and Cu, respectively) of the metal crystals following shock compression and release. The 111 diffraction peaks showed broadening indicating a heterogeneous microstructure in the released state. The diffraction peaks also shifted to lower Bragg angles relative to the ambient Bragg angle; the magnitude of the shift increased with increasing impact stress. The Bragg angle shifts and appropriate averaging procedures were used to determine the macroscopic or continuum strength following compression and release. For both crystals, the strengths upon release increased with increasing impact stress and provide a quantitative measure of the strain hardening that occurs in Al(111) and Cu(111) during the shock and release process. Our results for Al(111) are in reasonable agreement with a previous determination based solely on continuum measurements. Two points are noteworthy about the developments presented here: Synchrotron x rays are needed because they provide the resolution required for analyzing the data in the released state; the method presented here can be extended to the shocked state but will require additional measurements.