Texas A&M University and Rice University researchers have identified a rapid atomic transformation in diamond composites when subjected to extreme hypersonic impact. The study, published in Materials Today, details how portions of an ultra-hard diamond composite transformed into graphite within microseconds of being struck by aluminum projectiles traveling at more than eight times the speed of sound.
The research team, supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, aimed to understand how ultra-hard materials behave under extreme shock and mechanical stress. The Texas A&M team was led by Aniket Mote, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering, and Dr. Thomas Lacy, a professor of mechanical engineering.
Their work provides data that could help engineers design next-generation shielding and protective materials for aviation, defense, and space technologies.
Mote stated that the team sought to replicate and study the behavior of materials subjected to extreme conditions in a controlled setting. "We asked: can we replicate and study in a controlled setting the behavior of materials subjected to extreme conditions?" Mote said. "In this case, we investigated hypersonic impact on a diamond-composite target."
The impact generated intense shockwaves that rapidly reorganized the diamond structure. Dr. Lacy noted that the study captured a phase change in the material, recording how it transitioned from one state to another. "We captured a phase change in the material and recorded how the material transitioned from one state to another," Lacy said.
