Publications

Response to unloading and reloading of shock compressed polymethyl methacrylate

Reinhart, William D.; Chhabildas, Lalit C.

Shock properties of polymeric materials have been investigated at low stresses for use as windows for velocity interferometry, binder phases for polymer-bonded explosives, and as adhesives. The shock Hugoniot for many other polymeric materials may also exist. There are distinct advantages in using a low-impedance polymer for impactors on shock experiments, however the loading structure from reshock or release has not been determined at these high stresses. In this study polymethyl-methacrylate (PMMA) is shocked to approximately 45 GPa and recompressed up to 130 GPa as well as unloaded from the shocked state. Reloading and unloading wave speeds have been determined from this initial stress level of approximately 45 GPa. The results from these tests not only characterize PMMA at these stress states, but will be valuable when PMMA is used as a standard material to study strength and phase transformation behavior in other materials. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.