Experiments studying the flow strength of tantalum up to 30 GPa

In the recent years, there has been a number of experiments performed looking at different platforms or techniques to probe the strength of tantalum. The focus of this research has been to apply a shock/double shock drive conditions to determine the flow strength in tantalum up to about 30 GPa. The elastic/plastic response of tantalum and its interaction with typical lower impedance window materials complicates the design of these experiments. In this work, we present the results where we applied the shock/reloading technique to determine the flow strength of tantalum at initial loading stress states up to 30 GPa. Simulations with and without a PTW strength model are also compared to the experimental data.