The book contains 12 chapters written by well-known shock wave researchers from seven different countries. Each researcher provides a brief description of his main research interests and results, thereby providing the readers with an excellent view of shock wave research conducted in the past fifty years. It also provides hints as to what still needs further investigation. It will be an excellent guide for young researchers entering the field of shock wave phenomena. Among the described investigations are the following topics: Blast wave interaction with a body when the body is in the area of interference of two blast waves moving in different directions; equation of state for water based on the shock Hugoniot data; Mach waves occurring over a backward facing edge in supersonic flow; shock waves in dusty gas; shock wave interaction with various bodies; three shock interactions.

This comprehensive and carefully edited volume presents a variety of experimental methods used in Shock Waves research. In 14 self contained chapters this 9th volume of the “Shock Wave Science and Technology Reference Library” presents the experimental methods used in Shock Tubes, Shock Tunnels and Expansion Tubes facilities. Also described is their set-up and operation. The uses of an arc heated wind tunnel and a gun tunnel are also contained in this volume. Whenever possible, in addition to the technical description some typical scientific results obtained using such facilities are described. Additionally, this authoritative book includes techniques for measuring physical properties of blast waves and laser generated shock waves. Information about active shock wave laboratories at different locations around the world that are not described in the chapters herein is given in the Appendix, making this book useful for every researcher involved in shock/blast wave phenomena.

Shock wave research covers important inderdisciplinary areas which range from basic topics on gasdynamics, combustion and detonation, physico-chemistry of high temperature gases, plasma physics, astro and geophysics, materials science, astronautics and space technology to medical and industrial applications. This book includes 202 papers presented at the 18th the International Symposium on Shock Waves which describe the research frontier of shock wave phenopmena and 14 plenary lectures which show the state of the art of various fields of shock wave research. This proceedings is a unique collection of most important and updated shock wave research.

This book presents, in a concise and comprehensive manner, the essential techniques by which shock wave physicists probe the boundaries of material response to impulsive loads. The author is a well-known figure in shock wave physics, having worked for over forty years with many of the outstanding researchers in the field.The book acquaints readers both with modern instrumentation techniques including interferometers such as the DISAR and the VISAR ? and with methods that have been established by previous generations of experimentalists ? including acoustic measurement techniques and low to moderate strain rate machines.Besides an exposition of the theoretical aspects of shock wave phenomena, it contains large amounts of data on equations of state, spallation thresholds, shock wave attenuation from very high pressures, and elastic constants. Much of this information has been previously unavailable in open publications.The text documents the transition from testing performed with explosives to the use of modern compressed gas guns, which permit much more detailed diagnostics and controlled conditions. In particular, the author pioneered the use of two-stage light gas guns which launch high-density plates against specimens located at the muzzle. The high launch velocity of these guns produced data that represents the highest pressures obtained in the free world at that time.

This book presents a history of shock compression science, including development of experimental, material modeling, and hydrodynamics code technologies over the past six decades at Sandia National Laboratories. The book is organized into a discussion of major accomplishments by decade with over 900 references, followed by a unique collection of 45 personal recollections detailing the trials, tribulations, and successes of building a world-class organization in the field. It explains some of the challenges researchers faced and the gratification they experienced when a discovery was made. Several visionary researchers made pioneering advances that integrated these three technologies into a cohesive capability to solve complex scientific and engineering problems. What approaches worked, which ones did not, and the applications of the research are described. Notable applications include the turret explosion aboard the USS Iowa and the Shoemaker-Levy comet impact on Jupiter. The personal anecdotes and recollections make for a fascinating account of building a world-renowned capability from meager beginnings. This book will be inspiring to the expert, the non expert, and the early-career scientist. Undergraduate and graduate students in science and engineering who are contemplating different fields of study should find it especially compelling.

The Fourth American Physical Society Topical Conference on Shock Waves in Condensed Matter was held in Spokane, Washington, July 22-25, 1985. Two hundred and fifty scientists and engineers representing thirteen countries registered at the conference. The countries represented included the United States of America, Australia, Canada, The People's Repub lic of China, France, India, Israel, Japan, Republic of China (Taiwan), United Kingdom, U. S. S. R, Switzerland and West Germany. One hundred and sixty-two technical papers, cov ering recent developments in shock wave and high pressure physics, were presented. All of the abstracts have been published in the September 1985 issue of the Bulletin of the American Physical Society. The topical conferences, held every two years since 1979, have become the principal forum for shock wave studies in condensed materials. Both formal and informal technical discussions regarding recent developments conveyed a sense of excitement. Consistent with the past conferences, the purpose of this conference was to bring together scientists and engineers studying the response of condensed matter to dynamic high pressures and temperatures. Papers covering experimental, theoretical, and numerical studies of con densed matter properties were presented. A noteworthy feature of this conference was the participation by several leading scientists engaged in static high pressure research. Donald Curran served as the Master of Ceremonies at the conference banquet, which was at tended by two hundred and seventy-five conference participants and guests including Dr. Samuel Smith, the new President of Washington State University. Dr.

This book compiles historical notes and a review of the work of the author and his associates on shock compression of condensed matter (SCCM). The work includes such topics as foundational aspects of SCCM, thermodynamics, thermodynamics of defects, and plasticity as they relate to shock compression, shock-induced phase transition, and shock compaction. Also included are synthesis of refractory and hard ceramic compounds such as Ni aluminides, SiC and diamonds, method of characteristics, discrete element methods, the shock compression process at the grain scale, and modeling shock-to-detonation transition in high explosives. The book tells the story of how the author’s view of shock physics came to be where it is now. and analytically discusses how the author’s appreciation of shock waves has evolved in time. It offers a personal but pedagogical perspective on SCCM for young scientists and engineers who are starting their careers in the field. For experts it offers materials to nudge them reflect on their own stories, with the hope of planting a seed of motivation to write them down to be published.