HyFIRE - Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI)

The HEMI Hypervelocity Facility for Impact Research Experiments (HyFIRE) contains a 2 stage light gas gun that is capable of launching impactors at velocities up to 7 km/s.

The facility is located in Malone Hall on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus.

Applications

Hypersonics
Missile defense
Space systems
Planetary science
Terminal ballistics
Energetics

Capabilities

Impact velocities of 1 – 7 km/s
High-speed optical visualization in stereo (10 Mfps)
Digital Image Correlation, Digital Gradient Sensing, Photon Doppler Velocimetry
Orthogonal flash X-ray imaging
High-speed spectroscopy

Diagnostics

Screenshot — Image: Brett Kuwik and Ryan Hurley, JHU

Flash X-Ray

System: 300 kV L3 Flash X-Ray System
Channels: 3 single or dual output pulsers
Peak Voltage on Anodes: 300 kV Single or 150 kV Dual
X-Ray Pulse Durations: 25-30 ns

PDV-feature-image-768x512 — Image: Brett Kuwik and Ryan Hurley, JHU

Photon Doppler Velocimetry

System: 300 kV L3 Flash X-Ray System
Channels: 3 single or dual output pulsers
Peak Voltage on Anodes: 300 kV Single or 150 kV Dual
X-Ray Pulse Durations: 25-30 ns

Back surface velocity measurement

Learn more about the laser shock facility here.

Spectroscopy

Spectroscopy and impact flash diagnostics

Spectrograph system: Princeton Instruments Iso-Plane 320
Camera system: Princeton Instruments PIMAX 4-1024i with Dual Image Feature
Gratings: 500 nm blaze at 150 g/mm, 300 g/mm and 600 g/mm
Grating Width Minimum: 5 ns
DIF Minimum Interframe Time: 500 ns
Spectral Resolution: 0.05 nm
Spectral Range of IsoPlane 320: 0-1400 nm

Image: Chris DiMarco and Jake Diamond, JHU

High Speed Imaging

Impact visualization, digital gradient sensing (DGS), and 3D digital image correlation (DIC)

HyFIRE works with the following camera and lighting inventories:

Several Photogenic and Honey Badger flash bulbs for broadband illumination
2 Shimadzu HPVX2 cameras, capable of synchronous imaging up to 10 Mfps at 100 ns exposures
2 Photron SA5 cameras, with variable resolution and frame rates up to 1 Mfps
2 Cavitar / Silux pulsed lasers for synchronous image illumination with the Shimadzus

Video: Yunho Kim, JHU

Launcher Details & Specifications

Primary Breech Gas / Max Pressure: Helium or Nitrogen / 10,000 psi (690 Bar)

Pump Tube Gas: Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrogen

Launch Tubes:7.62 mm rifled, 7.62 mm smooth bore, 12.7 mm smooth bore, 19.05 mm smooth bore

Common Sabots: 2 or 4 piece sabots made from high strength nylon or PEEK

Common Projectiles: 1-5 mm spheres made from aluminum, steel and tungsten carbide

Velocity range: 1.0 – 7 km/s (Mach 3 – Mach 20)

Additional Features & Diagnostics

4 channel PDV for velocimetry and near muzzle experiments

Digital Gradient Sensing (DGS) and 3D Digital Image Correlation (DIC) for surface deformation measurements

Various view ports along the range for projectile and sabot imaging

Variable atmosphere with air or inert gas backfilling

Terminal chamber vacuum down to 5 Torr

Near muzzle chamber vacuum < 1 Torr

Amotronics timing system for velocity measurement, impact time calculation and diagnostic sequencing

Contact

For additional information regarding HyFIRE, contact:

Matthew Shaeffer, Senior Staff Engineer

Justin Moreno, Staff Engineer