Tensile failure of water due to shock wave interactions

A series of low stress shock impact experiments were performed on water to examine the dynamic response under tension and establish a lower bound for water rupture or cavitation threshold. The experimental cell configuration permitted particle velocity measurements at the water-air free surface separated by a 5-μm-thick aluminized Mylar diaphragm. Water samples were triply distilled, de-ionized, and degassed prior to experiments. The average tensile strength for shock-induced cavitation in the water was found to be 8.7±0.2MPa. Experiments are compared with hydrocode simulations using a simple fracture criterion and published experimental data.