ABSTRACT
In chapter 3 we described the technology of explosive compaction in general terms. In this chapter we describe the methods adopted and the results obtained on metallic materials in greater detail.
What is attractive about explosive compaction is that it can do things that are not possible through conventional means. For example, rapidly solidified powders or nanocrystalline materials possess a highly refined microstructure along with very low segregation and high homogeneity. Conventional routes to compact such materials may result in coarse structures due to prolonged heating during compaction. Explosive compaction, on the other hand, can be done usually without any preheating. Even when preheating is required, the temperatures can be kept considerably below the recrystallization temperature for many materials. This allows retention of the original powder microstructure following shock consolidation. Thus, shock consolidation is a unique process, which can be employed to consolidate rapidly solidified metal powders or metallic glass powders, while retaining their special features. (Explosive compaction is also called shock compaction or hydrodynamic compaction, and these terms are used interchangeably in this book partly to be in line with the original authors and partly to avoid monotony).
