Violent mechanics

Many dynamic problems in mechanics have interesting limits when the imposed loads, or displacements, or velocities are vast. Applications range from the 'Armageddon' scenario of meteorite impact on the ocean to the penetration of thick targets (e.g. doors of safes) by high speed liquid jets produced by "shaped charges". OCIAM research in this area is subdivided into (i) Violent hydrodynamics and (ii) Violent solid mechanics.

Violent hydrodynamics is typified by very high speed impact between solids and liquids that are nearly incompressible. Even though the inertial forces are so high that they dominate all other mechanisms, such impact problems prove fearsome mathematical challenges.This is largely because the impact creates minute high speed jets and droplets which are only just being discovered experimentally, let alone computationally. OCIAM has strong links with research in this area in MIT, Cranfield and UCL.

Violent solid mechanics. The penetration of an elastic target by a shaped charge is completely different from, say, the penetration of water by a meteorite or a solid by a propagating crack. Because of the enormous pressures excerted by the shaped charge jet, it opens up the whole new area of supersonic solid mechanics and the associated shock waves and plasticity waves, offering brand new applications for modelling and asymptotic analysis. OCIAM's research effort is driven by links with QinetiQ

People working in this area within OCIAM are