Characterization of magnetically accelerated flyer plates

The intense magnetic field generated by the 20 megaampere Z machine [R. B. Spielman et al., Phys. Plasmas 5, 2105 (1998)] at Sandia National Laboratories is being used as a pressure source for material science studies. An application we have studied in great detail involves using the intense magnetic field to accelerate flyer plates (small metal disks) to very high velocities (>20 km/s) for use in shock loading experiments. We have used highly accurate velocity interferometry measurements (error ∼1%) in conjunction with one-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation to elucidate details of the flyer dynamics. One-dimensional MHD simulations are able to produce experimental results with a high degree of accuracy, thereby revealing otherwise unobtainable, but useful information about magnetically accelerated flyers on Z. Comparisons of simulation results with time-resolved measurements of velocity from a shock loading experiment involving a 925 μm aluminum flyer are presented. Results show that Joule heating related to magnetic diffusion constrains the minimum possible initial thickness of a flyer.