Sudden impact probing submicrosecond shock waves

Analysis of high-impact loading is essential in basic materials science; applications range from the protection of spacecraft from meteoroids and the design of advanced weaponry and armor to the safety engineering of nuclear reactors and the explosive forming and welding of metals. Shock-compression science and engineering has undergone a steady growth since World War II. The instruments, devices, and gauges used to detect the stress-wave profiles of shock waves have played a leading role in the development of the technology, yet their characteristics have received little critical scrutiny. Although few truly new detectors have been developed in the past ten years, much has been learned about gauge techniques. This article will survey the measurement techniques used to study the stress pulses or shock waves that result from rapid impulsive loading.