Publications

Techniques for Equation-of-State Measurements on a Three-Stage Light-Gas Gun

Reinhart, William D.; Chhabildas, Lalit C.

Understanding high pressure behavior materials is necessary in order to address the physical processes associated with hypervelocity impact events related to space science applications including orbital debris impact and impact lethality. Until recently the highest-pressure states in materials have been achieved from impact loading techniques from two-stage light gas guns with velocity limitations of approximately 81cm/s. In this paper, techniques that are being developed and implemented to obtain the needed shock loading parameters (Hugoniot states) for material characterization studies, namely shock velocity and particle velocity, will be described at impact velocities up to 11 kds. The determination of equation-of-state (EOS) and thermodynamic states of materials in the regimes of extreme high pressures is now attainable utilizing the three-stage launcher. What is new in this report is that these techniques are being implemented for use at engagement velocities never before attained utilizing two-stage light-gas gun technology. The design and test methodologies used to determine Hugoniot states are described in this paper.