SPALLATION STUDIES ON SHOCK LOADED U-6 WT PCT NB.

Several spallation experiments have been performed on the 6 wt pct alloy of uranium using gas gun driven normal plate impacts with VISAR instrumentation and soft recovery. The nominal shock pressures achieved were 28, 34, 42, 50, 55, and 82 kbar. This paper will focus on spallation modeling, e.g. using the 1 D characteristics code CHARADE to simulate the free surface particle velocity. The spallation model involves the ductile growth and coalescence of voids. Metallographical examination of recovered samples and details of the experimental apparatus are discussed in a separate paper