We have studied the formation and evolution of shock-induced mix resulting from interface features in a divergent cylindrical geometry. In this research a cylindrical core of high-explosive was detonated to create an oblique shock wave and accelerate the interface. The interfaces studied were between the high-explosive/aluminum, aluminum/plastic, and finally plastic/air. Pre-emplaced surface features added to the aluminum were used to modify this interface. Time sequence radiographic imaging quantified the resulting instability formation from the growth phase to over 60 {micro}s post-detonation. Thus allowing the study of the onset of mix and evolution to turbulence. The plastic used here was porous polyethylene. Radiographic image data are compared with numerical simulations of the experiments.

Heat treatment and associated processing, such as quenching, are critical during high strength steel casting production. These processes must be managed closely to prevent thermal and residual stresses that may result in distortion, cracking (particularly after machining), re-work, and weld repair. The risk of casting distortion limits aggressive quenching that can be beneficial to the process and yield an improved outcome. As a result of these distortions, adjustments must be made to the casting or pattern design, or tie bars must be added. Straightening castings after heat treatments can be both time-consuming and expensive. Residual stresses may reduce a casting’s overall service performance, possibly resulting in catastrophic failure. Stress relieving may help, but expends additional energy in the process. Casting software is very limited in predicting distortions during heat treatment, so corrective measures most often involve a tedious trial-and-error procedure. An extensive review of existing heat treatment residual stress and distortion modeling revealed that it is vital to predict the phase transformations and microstructure of the steel along with the thermal stress development during heat treatment. After reviewing the state-of-the-art in heat treatment residual stress and distortion modeling, an existing commercial code was selected because of its advanced capabilities in …

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In order to build a compact, staged laser plasma accelerator the in-coupling of the laser beam to the different stages represents one of the key issues. To limit the spatial foot print and thus to realize a high overall acceleration gradient, a concept has to be found which realizes this in-coupling within a few centimeters. We present experiments on a tape-drive based plasma mirror which could be used to reflect the focused laser beam into the acceleration stage.

A plasma mirror based on a laminar water film with low flow speed 0.5-2 cm/s has been developed and characterized, for use as an ultrahigh intensity optical reflector. The use of flowing water as atarget surface automatically results in each laser pulse seeing a new interaction surface and avoids the need for mechanical scanning of the target surface. In addition, the breakdown of water does notproduce contaminating debris that can be deleterious to vacuum chamber conditions and optics, such as is the case when using conventional solid targets. The mirror exhibits 70percent reflectivity, whilemaintaining high-quality of the reflected spot.

We present experimental results on a tape-drive based plasma mirror which could be used for a compact coupling of a laser beam into a staged laser driven electron accelerator. This novel kind of plasma mirror is suitable for high repetition rates and for high number of laser shots. In order to design a compact, staged laser plasma based accelerator or collider [1], the coupling of the laser beam into the different stages represents one of the key issues. To limit the spatial foot print and thus to realize a high overall acceleration gradient, a concept has to be found which realizes this in-coupling within a few centimeters (cf. Fig 1). The fluence of the laser pulse several centimeters away from the acceleration stage (focus) exceeds the damage threshold of any available mirror coating. Therefore, in reference [2] a plasma mirror was suggested for this purpose. We present experiments on a tape-drive based plasma mirror which could be used to reflect the focused laser beam into the acceleration stage. Plasma mirrors composed of antireflection coated glass substrates are usually used to improve the temporal laser contrast of laser pulses by several orders of magnitudes [3,4]. This is particularly important for laser …

The Savannah River Remediation (SRR) is preparing Tank 6F for closure. The first step in preparing the tank for closure is mechanical sludge removal. Following mechanical sludge removal, SRS performed chemical cleaning with oxalic acid to remove the sludge heel. Personnel are currently assessing the effectiveness of the chemical cleaning to determine whether the tank is ready for closure. SRR personnel collected liquid samples during chemical cleaning and submitted them to Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) for analysis. Following chemical cleaning, they collected a solid sample (also known as 'process sample') and submitted it to SRNL for analysis. The authors analyzed these samples to assess the effectiveness of the chemical cleaning process. Analysis of the anions showed the measured oxalate removed from Tank 6F to be approximately 50% of the amount added in the oxalic acid. To close the oxalate mass balance, the author collected solid samples, leached them with nitric acid, and measured the concentration of cations and anions in the leachate. Some conclusions from this work are: (1) Approximately 65% of the oxalate added as oxalic acid was removed with the decanted liquid. (2) Approximately 1% of the oxalate (added to the tank as oxalic acid) formed precipitates …

Aside from the target storage regions being underground, geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) and radioactive waste disposal (RWD) share little in common in North America. The large volume of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) needed to be sequestered along with its relatively benign health effects present a sharp contrast to the limited volumes and hazardous nature of high-level radioactive waste (RW). There is well-documented capacity in North America for 100 years or more of sequestration of CO{sub 2} from coal-fired power plants. Aside from economics, the challenges of GCS include lack of fully established legal and regulatory framework for ownership of injected CO{sub 2}, the need for an expanded pipeline infrastructure, and public acceptance of the technology. As for RW, the USA had proposed the unsaturated tuffs of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the region's first high-level RWD site before removing it from consideration in early 2009. The Canadian RW program is currently evolving with options that range from geologic disposal to both decentralized and centralized permanent storage in surface facilities. Both the USA and Canada have established legal and regulatory frameworks for RWD. The most challenging technical issue for RWD is the need to predict repository performance on extremely long time scales …

During solidification, contractions or distortions of the steel, known as “dimensional changes,” can cause the final product to vary significantly from the original pattern. Cracks in the casting that form during the late stages of solidification, called “hot tears,” occur when contractions can no longer be accommodated by residual liquid metal flow or solid metal displacement. Dimensional changes and hot tears are major problems in the steel casting industry. These occurrences are difficult to anticipate and correct using traditional foundry engineering methods. While dimensional changes are accommodated using pattern allowances, the desired dimensions are often inaccurate. Castings that form hot tears must then be scrapped or weld repaired, expending unnecessary energy. Correcting either of these problems requires a tedious trial-and-error process that may not necessarily yield accurate results. A model that predicts hot tears and dimensional changes during steel casting solidification has been successfully developed and implemented in commercial casting and stress analysis software. This model is based on a visco-plastic constitutive model with damage, where the damage begins to form when liquid feed metal is cut off to a solidifying region. The hot tear prediction is a locater for hot tear initiation sites, and not a full tear prediction: …

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