Numerical investigation of shock-induced ejecta breakup and size distributions

B Wu and XX Wang and JZ Qian and Q Bao and HN Sui and P Wang, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMPACT ENGINEERING, 198, 105217 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2024.105217

Under intense shock, metal interface disturbances grow due to the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability, leading to fragmentation into small ejecta particles. Understanding the dynamics of fragmentation and predicting particle size distribution are key issues in engineering. In this work, we developed a three-dimensional, large-scale parallel smoothed particle hydrodynamics code for simulating the liquid flow with surface tension, ensuring numerical stability over long-term evolution. We performed direct simulations of ejected sheet formation and fragmentation from a triangular groove on a tin surface, using 130 million particles over 11 microseconds. The results reveal the fundamental dynamics of metallic sheet fragmentation, including stages of void nucleation, network formation, breakup into filaments, and further fragmentation into droplets. The particle size distribution shows a decrease with increasing velocity, following a log-normal distribution near the peak and a power law for larger particles. Quantified particle diameters match experimental values across different velocity ranges. These results provide insights into sheet fragmentation under shock and improve modeling and prediction of ejecta size distribution.

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