Shockwave Consolidation of Materials

ABSTRACT: Oceanit proposes to develop materials that are far from thermodynamic equilibrium domain (highly doped polycrystalline materials, nano-structured systems and supersaturated structures, etc.). The processing includes shockwave consolidation and external fields.; BENEFIT: Processing utilizing shockwave consolidation via explosions, high pressure gun systems, and/or electromagnetic waves (e.g., microwaves, electron beams, laser, etc.) may lead to new materials with desirable, tailorable properties. A specific thrust area of interest is the discovery of new techniques for consolidation of nano powders, measuring, and analyzing thermal phenomena induced by shock waves and under aforementioned external fields during processing. The ultimate goal of exploiting these phenomena is to stabilize non-equilibrium phases and design future materials and components that break the paradigm of todays materials where the boundaries of performance/failure are defined by the equilibrium state. The end-use areas could include, but are not limited to, transparent laser materials, multifunctional ceramics, shape memory alloys and reactive materials.