A proposed Atlas liner design fabricated for hydrodynamic experiments on Shiva Star

Abstract

An entirely new cylindrical liner system has been designed and fabricated for use on the Shiva Star capacitor bank. The design incorporates features expected to be applicable to a future power Ilow channel of the Atlas capacitor bank with the intention of keeping any required liner design modifications to a minimum when the power flow channel at Atlas is available. Four shots were successfully conducted at Shiva Star that continued a series of hydrodynamics physics experiments started on the Los Alamos Pegasus capacitor bank. Departures from the diagnostic suite that had previously been used at Pegasus required new techniques in the fabrication of the experiment insert package.We describe new fabrication procedures that were developed by the Polymers and Coatings Group (MST-7) of the Los Alamos Materials Science Division to fabricate the Shiva Star experiment loads. Continuing MST-7 development of interference fit processes for liner experiment applications, current joints at the glide planes were assembled by thermal shrink fit using liquid nitrogen as a coolant [I]. The liner material was low strength, high conductance 1100 series aluminum. The liner glide plane electrodes were machined from full hard copper rod with a IO" ramp to maintain liner to glide plane contact as the liner was imploded. The parts were fabricated with 0.015 mm radial interference fit between the liner inside diameter (ID) and the glide plane outside diameter (OD). to form the static liner current joints. The liner was assembled with some axial clearance at each end to allow slippage if any axial force was generated as the liner assembly cassette was bolted into Shiva Star, a precaution to guard against buckling the liner during installation of the load cassette. Other unique or unusual processes were developed and are described. Minor adaptations of the h e r design are now being fabricated for first Atlas experiments.

Design and operation of high energy liner implosions at 16 MA for studies of converging shocks

“…In the present design, the initial contact between the aluminum liner and the copper electrodes occurs by thermally established, mechanical interference (aka, "thermal interference"). Detailed machining, at the tenth-mil level, permits successful operation [4].…”

Development and fielding of high-speed laser shadowgraphy for electro-magnetically driven cylindrical implosions

“…Since additional details on the Shiva Star NTLX cylindrical liner implosion experimental series can be found in other papers from these conference proceedings [4,5,6], we describe only brief details of the NTLX experimental series performance parameters.…”