Physico-chemical scenario abrupt reduce the viscosity of metals in the process of penetration of microparticles and formation in the microstructure of metals new nanoscale phases at high-speed collisions of microparticles with metals�

Project author: National Mining University, Department of Construction, Geotechnics and Geomechanics, Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine).

Project objective. Investigate the physical causes of abrupt decrease of viscosity in local areas of the microstructure of metals and create samples of composite materials with oriented texture of nanophases saturating metal matrix.

Project background.. The idea of the project is directly related to the problem of mechanics - the problem of high-speed collision of solids, the relevance of which is mainly due to space exploration. Great scientific and practical interest is little studied physico-chemical phenomena and laws of collision of microparticles with solid steel barriers in the range of impact velocity - 0.5 ... 3.0 km / s.

The authors' experimental results show that the interaction of various powder materials with thick steel containers does not follow classical laws of formation of craters - using microparticles from 1 to 200 microns steadily recorded exceeding the penetration depth to the average size of the throwing microparticles in 102 ... 104 times . The maximum depth is 300 mm.

The working hypothesis of the project is as follows: the collision of a clot or "clouds" fast-moving microparticles with metal barrier in local areas of the material obstacle it is decreasing abruptly the viscosity due to the formation of a dense plasma.

Some important areas of application of the results:

• in mechanical engineering - new principles of movement of solids in different media with forcibly reduced viscosity to the viscosity of water at normal pressure and room temperature;
• in nanomaterials - composite materials, modified (by synthesis directly in the volume of the metal matrix) by component of nanoscale solid phases;
• in the field of space exploration - new affecting factors due to a high probability of collision of small debris, clots, or "clouds" micrometeorites with metal modules and subsequent degradation of electronic equipment (such regimes of impact interactions may occur when flying spacecraft; there is a real opportunity to explain physical essence of unusual catastrophic situations);
• in nuclear power - in the design and development of new energy sources;
• in the managed mass synthesis of new chemical elements involving heavy nuclei;
• in the field of nuclear waste utilization.