These proceedings of EXPLOMET 90, the International Conference on the Materials Effects of Shock-Wave and High-Strain-Rate Phenomena, held August 1990, in La Jolla, California, represent a global and up-to-date appraisal of this field. Contributions (more than 100) deal with high-strain-rate deforma

The last two decades have seen a steady and impressive development, and eventual industrial acceptance, of the high energy-rate manufact turing techniques based on the utilisation of energy available in an explo sive charge. Not only has it become economically viable to fabricate complex shapes and integrally bonded composites-which otherwise might not have been obtainable easily, if at all-but also a source of reasonably cheap energy and uniquely simple techniques, that often dispense with heavy equipment, have been made available to the engineer and applied scientist. The consolidation of theoretical knowledge and practical experience which we have witnessed in this area of activity in the last few years, combined with the growing industrial interest in the explosive forming, welding and compacting processes, makes it possible and also opportune to present, at this stage, an in-depth review of the state of the art. This book is a compendium of monographic contributions, each one of which represents a particular theoretical or industrial facet of the explosive operations. The contributions come from a number of practising engineers and scientists who seek to establish the present state of knowledge in the areas of the formation and propagation of shock and stress waves in metals, their metallurgical effects, and the methods of experimental assessment of these phenomena.

A conference on Metallurgical Effects at High Strain Rates was held at Albuquerque, New Mexico, February 5 through 8, 1973, under joint sponsorship of Sandia Laboratories and the Physical Metallurgy Committee of The Metallurgical Society of AIME. This book presents the written proceedings of the meeting. The purpose of the conference was to gather scientists from diverse disciplines and stimulate interdisciplinary discussions on key areas of materials response at high strain rates. In this spirit, it was similar to one of the first highly successful con ferences on this subject held in 1960, in Estes Park, Colorado, on The Response of Metals to High Velocity Deformation. The 1973 conference was able to demonstrate rather directly the increased understanding of high strain rate effects in metals that has evolved over a period of roughly 12 years. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of the meeting, the first day was devoted to a tutorial session of invited papers to provide attendees of diverse backgrounds with a common basis of understanding. Sessions were then held with themes centered around key areas of the high strain rate behavior of metals.

The scientific understanding of high-velocity deformation has advanced substantially during the past decade. On the one hand, the framework for a theory explaining the metallurgical effects of shock waves is beginning to take shape; on the other hand, the technological applications of high strain-rate processes have found their way into industries in countries around the world. Ex plosive cladding, welding, forming, compaction and consolidation, cutting, and hardening, in addition to high energy-rate deformation processes using other energy sources, are some of the topics of contemporary technological importance. Metallurgical effects are of the utmost importance in both the scientific understanding of the phenomena involved, and in the successful development and utilization of the associated applications. The international conference upon which this book is based had as its major objectives the acceleration of progress in the field of high-strain rate deformation and fabrication, including applications, by providing a forum for the exchange of state-of-the art information on the metallurgical effects of high strain-rate deformation and fabrication; and the organization of this informa tion into a timely and coherent body of knowledge focused around significant areas and applications. This volume is a manifestation of these objectives. In addition, the contents of this book were organized to provide for a somewhat logical perspective of the fundamentals, development, and state-of-the-art applications of high strain-rate and shock phenomena.

Addresses fundamentals and advanced topics relevant to the behavior of materials under in-service conditions such as impact, shock, stress and high-strain rate deformations. Deals extensively with materials from a microstructure perspective which is the future direction of research today.

Because lithium is the least dense elemental metal, materials scientists and engineers have been working for decades to develop a commercially viable aluminum-lithium (Al-Li) alloy that would be even lighter and stiffer than other aluminum alloys. The first two generations of Al-Li alloys tended to suffer from several problems, including poor ductility and fracture toughness; unreliable properties, fatigue and fracture resistance; and unreliable corrosion resistance. Now, new third generation Al-Li alloys with significantly reduced lithium content and other improvements are promising a revival for Al-Li applications in modern aircraft and aerospace vehicles. Over the last few years, these newer Al-Li alloys have attracted increasing global interest for widespread applications in the aerospace industry largely because of soaring fuel costs and the development of a new generation of civil and military aircraft. This contributed book, featuring many of the top researchers in the field, is the first up-to-date international reference for Al-Li material research, alloy development, structural design and aerospace systems engineering. Provides a complete treatment of the new generation of low-density AL-Li alloys, including microstructure, mechanical behavoir, processing and applications Covers the history of earlier generation AL-Li alloys, their basic problems, why they were never widely used, and why the new third generation Al-Li alloys could eventually replace not only traditional aluminum alloys but more expensive composite materials Contains two full chapters devoted to applications in the aircraft and aerospace fields, where the lighter, stronger Al-Li alloys mean better performing, more fuel-efficient aircraft