This is the first volume of a two volume set which presents the results of the 31st International Symposium on Shock Waves (ISSW31), held in Nagoya, Japan in 2017. It was organized with support from the International Shock Wave Institute (ISWI), Shock Wave Research Society of Japan, School of Engineering of Nagoya University, and other societies, organizations, governments and industry. The ISSW31 focused on the following areas: Blast waves, chemical reacting flows, chemical kinetics, detonation and combustion, ignition, facilities, diagnostics, flow visualization, spectroscopy, numerical methods, shock waves in rarefied flows, shock waves in dense gases, shock waves in liquids, shock waves in solids, impact and compaction, supersonic jet, multiphase flow, plasmas, magnetohyrdrodynamics, propulsion, shock waves in internal flows, pseudo-shock wave and shock train, nozzle flow, re-entry gasdynamics, shock waves in space, Richtmyer-Meshkov instability, shock/boundary layer interaction, shock/vortex interaction, shock wave reflection/interaction, shock wave interaction with dusty media, shock wave interaction with granular media, shock wave interaction with porous media, shock wave interaction with obstacles, supersonic and hypersonic flows, sonic boom, shock wave focusing, safety against shock loading, shock waves for material processing, shock-like phenomena, and shock wave education. These proceedings contain the papers presented at the symposium and serve as a reference for the participants of the ISSW 31 and individuals interested in these fields.

This is the first volume of a two volume set which presents the results of the 31st International Symposium on Shock Waves (ISSW31), held in Nagoya, Japan in 2017. It was organized with support from the International Shock Wave Institute (ISWI), Shock Wave Research Society of Japan, School of Engineering of Nagoya University, and other societies, organizations, governments and industry. The ISSW31 focused on the following areas: Blast waves, chemical reacting flows, chemical kinetics, detonation and combustion, ignition, facilities, diagnostics, flow visualization, spectroscopy, numerical methods, shock waves in rarefied flows, shock waves in dense gases, shock waves in liquids, shock waves in solids, impact and compaction, supersonic jet, multiphase flow, plasmas, magnetohyrdrodynamics, propulsion, shock waves in internal flows, pseudo-shock wave and shock train, nozzle flow, re-entry gasdynamics, shock waves in space, Richtmyer-Meshkov instability, shock/boundary layer interaction, shock/vortex interaction, shock wave reflection/interaction, shock wave interaction with dusty media, shock wave interaction with granular media, shock wave interaction with porous media, shock wave interaction with obstacles, supersonic and hypersonic flows, sonic boom, shock wave focusing, safety against shock loading, shock waves for material processing, shock-like phenomena, and shock wave education. These proceedings contain the papers presented at the symposium and serve as a reference for the participants of the ISSW 31 and individuals interested in these fields.

These proceedings collect the papers presented at the 30th International Symposium on Shock Waves (ISSW30), which was held in Tel-Aviv Israel from July 19 to July 24, 2015. The Symposium was organized by Ortra Ltd. The ISSW30 focused on the state of knowledge of the following areas: Nozzle Flow, Supersonic and Hypersonic Flows with Shocks, Supersonic Jets, Chemical Kinetics, Chemical Reacting Flows, Detonation, Combustion, Ignition, Shock Wave Reflection and Interaction, Shock Wave Interaction with Obstacles, Shock Wave Interaction with Porous Media, Shock Wave Interaction with Granular Media, Shock Wave Interaction with Dusty Media, Plasma, Magnetohyrdrodynamics, Re-entry to Earth Atmosphere, Shock Waves in Rarefied Gases, Shock Waves in Condensed Matter (Solids and Liquids), Shock Waves in Dense Gases, Shock Wave Focusing, Richtmyer-Meshkov Instability, Shock Boundary Layer Interaction, Multiphase Flow, Blast Waves, Facilities, Flow Visualization, and Numerical Methods. The two volumes serve as a reference for the participants of the ISSW30 and anyone interested in these fields.

Giving fundamental information on one of the most promising families of smart materials, electroactive polymers (EAP) this exciting new titles focuses on the several biomedical applications made possible by these types of materials and their related actuation technologies. Each chapter provides a description of the specific EAP material and device configuration used, material processing, device assembling and testing, along with a description of the biomedical application. Edited by well-respected academics in the field of electroactive polymers with contributions from renowned international experts, this is an excellent resource for industrial and academic research scientists, engineers, technicians and graduate students working with polymer actuators or in the fields of polymer science.