Early Simulations of a Reacting Metal Ejecta Particle in Still Gas

Metal ejecta particles are an important part of studying shocked materials. Ejecta particles are created when a shock travels through a perturbed material interface, creating molten metal drops which are released from the surface as a limiting case of the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. For our study, we focus on metal ejecta transporting in a chemically reactive fluid. The physical consequences of this process, such as mass transfer, energy release, and particle deformation, are still being accounted for and are an active area of research. To study these phenomena, we have simplified the case to focus on a single ejecta particle interacting with a reactive ambient gas. Using a reaction mechanism made for a Lagrangian multi-physics hydrocode, we analyze how the reaction affects the ejecta particle. The varying effects of the gas diffusion rate, exothermic heat release and possible material deformation are analyzed using 2D simulations. We also consider the stress development in the shell and how it aligns with the analytic solution for a thin shell sphere. Future work on placing the particle in a dynamic flow field, and important considerations for the particle's life span, will be discussed.