Dynamic shear fracture of an explosively-driven metal cylindrical shell

•The shear fracture process occurs in an explosively titanium alloy cylinder.•The combination of PDV array, high-speed framing camera and soft-recovery technique is employed.•The velocity profiles measured by PDV array exhibit from overlapping to scattering.•The sliding velocity between sheared cracks is determined.

This work investigates shear fracture behavior occurring in a titanium alloy cylinder internally filled with high explosives through the use of photonic Doppler velocimetry(PDV) array, high-speed framing camera and soft capture tank. The real-time velocity profiles diagnosed by PDV array display from overlapping to scattering, corresponding to the cylinder from uniform expansion to onset of fracture. In addition to the general findings obtained from individual diagnostics, combined analysis from the experimental measurements determines sliding velocity between sheared cracks and the overall adiabatic shear failure process of the metal cylinder is discussed.