The time dynamics and morphology of a spall fracture of a micron-thick vanadium film sample under shock-wave loading by femtosecond laser pulses under various radiation focusing conditions were studied using high-speed laser interferometry, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. It is shown that near the destruction threshold at a duration of the generated compression pulse of 50 ps and a deformation rate of 1.4 × 109 s–1 a crater 170–190 nm depth and nanoscale roughness is formed on the back surface. The results may be of interest for studying the physics and modeling of high-speed metal destruction processes.

Ionization processes in air are studied: corona discharge with strongly and weakly pointed electrodes with a high-voltage active negative potential. The primary focus is on the influence of surface and degradation processes on corona electrodes. The current–voltage characteristics were measured in the vicinity of the ignition voltage of the corona discharge and the problem of experimental identification of surface charges is studied. The distribution of ions is estimated based on the glow color of ionization zones and the integral spectrum of the corona discharge. The dark current at the corona-forming, slightly curved negative electrode is explained by the capture of surface electrons by electron-accepting oxygen molecules. It is concluded that the mechanism of surface electron ionization is the same both in the dark region in air (in standard conditions) and in solutions of liquid dielectrics with iodine, in which the current–voltage characteristic is determined by the capture of surface electrons by iodine molecules.

This work is dedicated to the theoretical description of the thermodynamic characteristics of the hafnium–zirconium alloy at high pressures and temperatures under shock compression. A simple model is proposed for the thermal and caloric equations of state of the alloy components. Assuming equal temperatures and pressures in the components, a calculation of the shock adiabat for the hafnium–zirconium alloy was performed. The results are compared with available experimental data on shock waves. The obtained equations of state for hafnium, zirconium, and their alloy can be used to model the dynamics of various processes under high energy densities.

An experimental setup has been developed for studying electric discharge along a steel needle in an electrolyte-bubble medium of an ammonium sulfate solution in tap water, which has practical significance for cleaning and polishing medical devices. The current–voltage characteristics of the electric discharge under such conditions were studied. A mechanism for developing processes for cleaning and polishing medical stainless steel needles via immersion in a solution of ammonium sulfate in tap water has been established. It was found that electrical discharges at high of concentrations can damage the sharp end of a needle.

Numerical modeling of flow and heat transfer in heat exchangers with diffuser ducts with gas heat-transfer agents was carried out. Plate heat exchangers with small duct expansion angles that do not cause flow separation are considered. Due to enhancement of heat transfer in expanding ducts with an increase in the expansion angle, the heat transfer power increases in comparison with heat exchangers with a constant duct cross section. It is shown that when using air as a “cold” heat carrier, the heat transfer power increases with the growth of the heat capacity of “hot” gas heat-transfer agents. The calculations used a three-parameter RANS turbulence model supplemented by a turbulent heat flux equation.

The article presents the results of experimental testing of a system for igniting natural gas in an air flow using a microwave discharge. The data were obtained for a model high-enthalpy air flow generator. The pressure ranges for stable ignition of an air + natural gas mixture at a fuel component ratio close to stoichiometric are established. The data can be used in analyzing the characteristics of ignition systems for high-enthalpy air flow generators and power plants.

In the article, based on the known experimental values of the contact angles and surface energy of liquid nickel alloys with iron, chromium, and niobium at the boundary with solid yttrium oxide and nickel alloys with chromium at the boundary with zirconium nitride, the surface and interfacial energies of the systems at certain concentrations of the components are calculated.

Experimental data on the dynamics of shock wave propagation in acetylene and acetylene–oxygen mixtures diluted with argon in a square pipe of 27 × 27 mm2. It is shown that the energy release during the self-decomposition of acetylene under certain conditions can lead to a pulsating acceleration of the shock wave front, but it does not form a stable detonation. In stoichiometric acetylene–oxygen mixtures, a detonation wave is formed, the parameters of which are in good agreement with the calculated Chapman–Jouguet parameters. Kinetic modeling of the process of self-decomposition of acetylene and growth of condensed particles evidenced the imperfection of existing acetylene pyrolysis mechanisms and the need to take into account additional channels of polymerization of hydrocarbon compounds governed by its unique properties.

In this study, the heat capacity and thermodynamic functions of the lead–antimony alloy SSu3, alloyed with barium, were determined in the cooling mode using the known heat capacity of a standard sample made of M00 copper. By processing the cooling rate curves of samples made of SSu3 with barium and the standard, polynomials were obtained that describe their cooling rates. Using the cooling rates of the studied samples and the standard and their mass, the heat capacity of SSu3 with barium was calculated as a function of temperature. It is shown that with increasing temperature, the heat capacity, enthalpy, and entropy of the alloys increase, and the value of the Gibbs energy decreases. With increasing barium content, the heat capacity, enthalpy, and entropy of the alloys decrease, and the Gibbs energy value increases.

For the first time, experimental results of the study of temperature dependences of enthalpy, heat capacity and electrical resistivity of hafnium carbonitride HfC0.51N0.32 are presented for solid, liquid states and during melting in the temperature range 2500‒5500 K. The study was carried out using the method of fast (5–10 μs) pulsed current heating.